In the Woods
by Humble4
Summary: Alice has a vision that leads her and Jasper to become Bella's fairy godparents, until the time is right for her to meet her Prince Edward and live Happily Ever After.
1. Part 1

In the Woods: 

A Bella and Edward Story

Once upon a time, in a land far away, Alice and Jasper were returning from their hunt. They were playfully chasing each other through the woods went Alice froze. Jasper recognized that Alice was having a vision and rushed to her side engulfing her in his arms protectively until she came to.

It took Alice longer than normal to come out of her trance like state. When she did, she turned towards her mate with a shocked expression on her face. "Jasper, I have seen the most wonderful and terrible visions. I have searched and search for ways to prevent the terrible events from happening but every outcome results in death. There is only one path to take but I cannot do this alone. I will need your help. Please say you'll help me," she pleaded.

Although, Jasper had no idea what the situation was, he pledged his support. There is nothing that he would deny his Alice. She thanked him with a passionate kiss and then sat down to explain what she saw and what must be done.

Reader, in order for you to understand what is happening I will need to give you a little back story on Alice and Jasper. Please permit me to do that now.

You see, Alice and Jasper Cullen are not your average human couple. They are as far from average or human as you can get.

They are both vampires.

Jasper Hale nee Whitlock is about six feet tall. He is incredibly fit with sandy blonde hair and topaz eyes. He was created because his sire sensed that he was a gifted human. Gifted humans were coveted in the vampire world. Jasper was bitten and changed into a vampire to be used as a tool in his sire's evil plans for world domination. Jasper's gift was to sense and control the emotions of those around him. Believing her lies, he followed her faithfully for more than a century. He became a machine that felt the emotions of those he killed, both human and vampire. It was taking a toll on him but he saw no way out of his situation. One day, a vampire couple that he had spared the death sentence, that his sire had handed down, returned to rescue him. The couple never forgot the vampire that saved them. Their eternal gratitude lead them to return the favorite. They returned and told him that where they came from, vampires lived in peace. With their help, he found the courage to leave his sire and venture out on his own.

Once he was on his own, he was still having difficulty coping with needing to kill in order to survive. His gift was a curse to him.

That all changed when he met up with his Alice.

Alice Cullen is a tiny woman, measuring four feet nine inches. She has short black hair and topaz eyes. Her petite build, her love for green clothing and her constant hyper mood, earned her the nickname Tinkerbelle from her family.

Alice awoke to her vampire existence completely alone and with no memories of her human life other than her first name. This was not usually the case for vampires. There were penalties in the vampire word for sires who allowed their newborns to run amok.

Fortunately, Alice also was a gifted vampire. The moment she awoke she went into her first trance while she received two visions. The first vision was of the family she would join. This was the Cullen family. They were one of two families of vampires that did not consume human blood. They survived on a diet of animal blood. This diet resulted in them all having topaz coloured eyes as opposed to the crimson eyes of vampires that fed on human blood.

The second vision was of finding her mate, Jasper. She realized that is wouldn't be for a few years but she figured that would give her a chance to get used to this new lifestyle. The newborn years are never easy for vampires.

Alice decided to start as she meant to go on and maintained the same diet as her future family.

The moment Jasper and Alice looked into each other's eyes; they were drawn towards each other. The moment they touched was the moment that they realized that they were mates. The electrical charge that coursed through them was unmistakable. All mated vampires experience this and these two were no exception.

Once they met, Alice filled Jasper in on her first vision of their future family and their way of life. Jasper didn't want to shame himself in front of his new family so he and Alice decided to wait until Jasper has adjusted to the new diet. It took a few years but eventually he did manage to get the hang of it. When he was satisfied, he and Alice journeyed to their new home.

Reader, I won't go into details about their initial meeting with the Cullen family right now or we will be here all night. What I will do is introduce each member of the Cullen family because they will play a part in the story.

First, we have the Patriarch of the family, Carlisle Cullen. He is about six feet tall, has and athletic build, pale blonde hair and of course topaz eyes.

He was changed into a vampire over three centuries ago.

Reader, I won't go into details regarding his transformation. That really is a story for another time and really has to bearing on this tale.

The important thing to note is that he refused to become a monster and adopted the 'vegetarian' lifestyle. This is the families' reference to their diet. This wasn't the only thing that set him apart from the rest of the vampire world. Carlisle also decided that not only would he not feed on humans; he decided to become a doctor and help heal them too. These decisions lead him to meet the first member of his family.

Edward a young man of seventeen was dying in a hospital when his mother Elizabeth used her last moments of life to plead with Carlisle to save he son in a way that only he had the power to do.

Carlisle took this as permission to change the orphaned youth. This is how he came to siring his first newborn after being alone for over two centuries.

Edward Anthony Cullen nee Masen is six feet two inches with a lanky build. He has unique dark copper hair that never wants to lie flat. He decided a long time ago that trying to tame it was a losing battle. Much to his annoyance and his families' amusement, his hair has been a magnet to the opposite sex.

Edward is also a gifted vampire. He has the ability to read minds. As you can probably imagine, it can be both a blessing and a curse.

A few years after Edward was sired, Carlisle brought Esme home.

Esme Cullen nee Platt has long caramel coloured hair that frames her heart shaped face. She has a slender build yet is rounded and soft.

Esme had just buried her infant son, days after his birth. The lost devastated her to the point that she jumped off a cliff in an effort to end her life. Believing there was no hope for her, she was taken straight to the morgue. Recognizing her name, Carlisle went to visit the dying woman. A simple touch was all it took to realize that he needed to work quickly in order to save his mate; otherwise he'd be doomed to spend eternity alone. Fortunately her heart was still beating and he was able to do just that.

Vampire venom that enters the bloodstream when a human is bitten can heal miraculously as it transforms a human into a vampire but the heart needs to remain beating in order for the venom to do its work.

Reader, I'll explain more about the transformation process later in the story. For now, let's move on to Rosalie.

Rosalie Hale is considered an exception beauty. She is a tall voluptuous woman with wavy blonde hair. Rosalie's human life ended in violence that no woman should experience. It suffices to say that her trust in the wrong person brought about a terrible end.

Carlisle finding her on the verge of death couldn't bear to let her die. He also hoped that she would be to Edward what Esme was to him. Carlisle changed her and has been suffering her displeasure ever since.

Rosalie wanted a baby more than life itself and since a female vampire's body is not equipped to reproduce, she gets to spend eternity never realizing her heart's desire.

The final member of the Cullen family is Emmett Cullen nee McCarty. Emmett is tall, burly and muscular. He has curly dark hair and dimpled cheeks. His massive size can be intimidating but this prankster is just an overgrown teddy bear.

Rosalie was out hunting when she saw a bear mauling Emmett. She picked him up and rushed him to Carlisle so that he could be changed. It turned out to be a rather fortuitous that Rosalie found him because Emmett ended up being her mate.

Reader, you probably noticed that both Rosalie and Jasper are using the family name of Hale rather than Cullen. As, I mentioned before, the Cullens are unusual vampires. The do not hide in the shadows like most vampires. They actually co exist with humans. Since they don't age, they cannot stay in one place too long. The younger they act when they show up in a new town, the longer they can stay. Due to the size of their family, Carlisle and Esme pose as the adoptive parents. Edward, Emmett and Alice pose as their adopted children and Rosalie and Jasper pose as Esme's niece and nephew.

Well Reader, now that you've been introduced to the Cullen family, I am sure that you noticed something very significant. All of these vampires have found their mates with the exception of Edward. Please keep this in mind reader as we return to Alice and Jasper.

"Jasper, I just had a vision of Edward finally finding his mate." Alice said with a smile. Jasper was pleased for his brother. Edward had been alone for a very long time and was losing hope daily that he would every find his true love. "Alice, that is incredible. I am sure that Edward will over the moon when he hears this." Jasper declared enthusiastically.

"We can't tell him, Jasper. There's more and it's not good, not good at all." Alice said sadly. "Jasper, Edward's mate is a girl named Isabella Marie Swan but she prefers to be called Bella. She is so pretty, Jasper. She's five feet four inches tall, is curvy, has long straight brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a heart-shaped face. She is going to be my first and best friend." Alice said with a huge smile.

"Alice, I am failing to see what is so terrible," Jasper voiced his confusion.

Alice let out a sigh. "Jasper, Bella is about to experience such a terrible loss and will suffer in solitude for the next few years and there is nothing that we can do to stop it. Every time I made a different choice to save her, it results in her death and utter devastation for Edward. It kills me that there seems to be only one way to ensure that she lives and becomes Edward's mate. We have to let her suffer and sit back while she does it alone. It's killing me. If we tell any member of the family and they try to intervene, it will result in her death. There is no other alternative." Alice groaned in frustration.

"Jasper, Bella's father is the Police Chief and about to have a price put on his head by a crime lord that he managed to get on the wrong side of. It's too late to stop that from happening. There are too many criminals to stop them all. Some are more vicious than others and each time I decide to stop one or get help in stopping them, Bella still dies after being brutalized.

Her father is going to resign, sell their belongings and take his wife and Bella and go into hiding. There is a tracking device that will allow the criminals to find them once they are camping in the woods and it will result in the death of Bella's parents. If I decide to remove the tracking device, it will result in them being followed and run off the road and Bella will die on impact. By not interfering, Bella will escape alive.

The two that find the Swans' will only be interested in killing Charlie. They were taught not to harm women and children. Renee, Bella's mom will die because she jumps in front of the bullet because she'd rather die than lie without her husband.

The criminals will drive off with the Swan's car and leave Bella there believing that she will die in the wilderness. Again, we have to let this play out otherwise I see Bella's death." Alice explained.

Jasper sat in stunned silence for a few minutes trying to digest what Alice had just told him. "Alice, what have you seen us being able to do in order to give Edward and Bella their Happily Ever After?" Jasper inquired.

"After, Bella witnesses her parents being killed; Bella's survival instinct will kick in. She will bury her parents in a shallow grave then she will gather up her things and start hiking in hopes of finding civilization. She will not be successful because there is nothing around. She'll die either of thirst, hunger, hypothermia, animal attack or injury. This is where we can help. I've seen it." Alice said with certainty.

"Jasper, the first thing that we need to do, is to tell the family that we are going off on our own for a while. We cannot risk them finding out what we are up to and trying to interfere. We also cannot be around Edward or he'll know that we are hiding something. One day we'll certainly slip and he will read our minds.

We will need to watch over Bella from the time she enters the woods with her family.

Bella will collapse due to stress and exhaustion during her hike away from their campsite. Once she does, we'll carry her to the Cullen cabin.

It's the one that is hidden away and was used for each of their newborn years. No one ever goes there anymore. Thanks to Esme's need for always building and maintaining perfect homes, it has running water and electricity. We'll stock it with food, toiletries, books, clothing and everything else that she will need.

We'll watch over her for the next few years and keep her safe. At night when she goes to sleep, we'll restock anything that she needs.

In a few years Edward will decide he needs to distance himself from the family in order to protect his sanity. He will have reached his limit of patience and cannot take being surrounded by mated pairs any longer. That is when he decides to take a trip to the cabin. That is when Bella and Edward will meet! Jasper, I've seen it. It will work." Alice stated with a grin.

"Alice, darling, there is one thing that I don't understand." Jasper paused and chose his next words carefully.

Upsetting his love was not an option.

"What's to stop Bella from panicking when she wakes up in a cabin that just happens to have everything that she needs?" Jasper asked cautiously.

Alice giggled, she actually giggled. Jasper was surprised at her reaction to his question.

"Jasper, we are going to become Bella's fairy godmother and godfather." Alice said with a tinkling laugh.

"We are going to leave a letter for Bella explaining that we know of her loss and that she is now alone in the world. We couldn't let such a sweet soul perish. We'll assure her that she is safe but that for her safety, we cannot reveal ourselves for a few years. We'll let her know that her needs will always be provided for and that we will correspond with her through letters.

Bella has always believed in fairies and magic ever since she was little. In order to cope with her loss, she will draw strength from her belief in the supernatural. She will believe that she is being taken care of by fairies until one day her prince will arrive to sweep her off of her feet." Alice finished explaining.

Jasper was thoroughly confused but he had learned a long time ago not to bet against his wife.

"Well, darling, if you've seen that working then I'll take your word for it. We better get started; we have a lot of work to do." Jasper said as he took her tiny hand in his. They started running through the woods while making lists of what they would need.

Bella Swan was sitting in her room, writing another one of her fairy stories on her computer. Ever since she was a little girl, Bella loved fairies.

Her mother, who was very artistic, had painted a mural on her daughter's bedroom wall for her sixth birthday.

Bella told her what she wanted each fairy to look like. She said that it came to her in a dream.

It was a beautiful forest with seven different fairies peeking out at her. There were three female fairies; one had long blonde hair, the other had long caramel coloured hair and the last had short black hair. There were also four male fairies; two males with blonde hair, one male with dark curly hair and the last male with reddish brown hair. Her mother told her it reminded her of an old copper penny. That one was her favorite fairy. Each night before going to sleep, she would give that fairy a kiss.

Bella would spend almost all of her free time these days writing stories about her fairies. When she grew up she wanted to be a famous author of children's stories.

Bella's parents worried about their baby girl. She was such an innocent thirteen year old. It made them sad to see that she didn't have any friends. No one wanted to be her friend because of her dad's job. Her parents were concerned that she was always living in her make believe world. However, since it kept their little girl out of trouble and content, they kept those concerns to themselves. Her father, as Police Chief, saw what kids her age were getting up to and he was more than happy to keep his little girl away from the bad influences for as long as possible.

Bella was called downstairs to help her mother prepare dinner. It was their special bonding time. Bella loved to cook and helping her mom made her feel helpful.

This evening, Bella could sense that something was troubling her parents. She kept quiet and waited patiently for them to tell her what was wrong. Her parents were always very straightforward people so she knew it was only a matter of time.

Bella remembered asking for a dog once. Her parents sat her down and explained that while they would love for her to have a dog, due to their finances it just wasn't possible. She remembered being sad for a while but she was happy that her parents explained why. Bella also figured that when she was a grown up, she'd be able to get a dog because famous authors made lots of money.

Although in many ways she was very childlike, Bella was also wise beyond her years. It was probably because the only people she interacted, with other than her teachers, were her parents. She didn't fret over things that she couldn't change.

Bella's dad cleared his throat and told his family about his trouble with a crime lord. He explained that he feared for their safety and that they would be going into hiding that night. He had sold the furnished house the month before.

He asked that they pack anything that they couldn't part with but to keep their bags light because they would be camping out in the wilderness and would need to be able to carry what they were bringing. He said that his buddies from the local Indian Reservation were going to stop by the house and donate the rest of their belongings to charity.

Bella went up to her room and tearfully looked around. She would miss her mural. As if he read her mind, her dad walked in carrying a digital camera. He photographed each fairy for her and printed out the photos for her so she could put them in her photo album. He also saved them for her on a flash drive in case the photos got ruined. She threw her arms around him and thanked him tearfully. She packed her necessities. Then, following her dad's lead, she printed out her stories and put them in a binder. She then saved them on her flash drive.

After it got dark, the Swan family drove away from their family home filled with both sadness and fear.

Two weeks later, Bella's world came crashing down around her. She had just witnessed her parents being murdered. The men were going to let Bella and her mother go because they didn't believe in killing women and children. Bella's mother couldn't face the thought of living without her husband so she jumped in front of the bullet meant for her husband. This resulted in Bella losing both of her parents. The men decided to drive away in the Swan's vehicle leaving Bella to die in the wilderness.

Bella couldn't allow her parents to be eaten by wild animals so she dug shallow graves, with the tools they had at their campsite, and buried them.

She was devastated at the loss of her parents but knew that if she ever found her true love, she wouldn't be able to go on without him either.

She sat there and said a tearful goodbye to her parents and looking around herself, the reality of her situation started to sink in.

Bella was all alone in the world; she had no one to turn to and had no idea how to fend for herself. If she made it out of the wilderness alive, she would probably end up as a ward of the state. She had overheard her dad telling her mom stories about a few cases of abuse to children in the system. She didn't want that to happen to her. Those thoughts scared her out of her wits. She stopped those thoughts right away. They weren't helping her. She needed to get moving.

Bella packed her things and started to hike. Staying where her parents were murdered wasn't an option. Her only hope was that she could find her way out of the wilderness. Bella wasn't sure how long she walked. She walked until she collapsed from stress and exhaustion. She sent up a silent prayer to heaven before everything went black.

Jasper gathered his new sister in his arms and covered her with the blanket that Alice brought with her. Alice grabbed Bella's bag and the couple started to run to the Cullen's cabin. Due to the speed that vampires could run, it didn't take them long to get there. Alice gave Bella a bath and dressed her in a cozy pair of pajamas before putting her to bed.

Jasper had been unpacking Bella's bag when he came across Bella's photo album and stories. To say that he was shocked was an understatement. He showed Alice his discovery. Alice smiled and walked over to wall to wall bookshelves in the living room. Alice told Jasper that she had a vision of Bella looking lovingly at photos of the family so she had the photos of each couple framed and had the frames engraved with their names. Now she knew why the photos would make Bella feel so happy. Each member of the Cullen family was represented on her mural. Alice looked into the future and saw Bella explaining about her childhood dream. This thought made Alice smile brightly.

They wrote Bella a letter and left it on her pillow, next to her head. They exited the cabin just as she was waking up.

Bella was very confused when she opened her eyes. When she closed her eyes, the last thing she remembered, was that she was laying on the grown in the middle of the wilderness.

Somehow, between passing out and waking up, she had ended up in a comfortable bed.

She rolled onto her side and heard a piece of paper crinkle. She picked it up and read the letter that was addressed to her.

_Dear Bella,_

_We are so sorry for your loss. If there was any way for us to have prevented it from happening we would have. I looked into the future to see the different outcomes of our interfering and each way resulted in you being harmed. We just couldn't let that happen. Although, we haven't met we love you already. _

_Unfortunately, we will have to postpone our meeting for a few years. Every time I check the future, I see our meeting before then will result in tragedy. We will do everything in our power to keep you save from harm, until it is time to meet. You will have a roof over your head, clothing to wear, water to drink and food to eat. _

_We will communicate with you by letters. If you need anything at all, please let us know._

_Love your Sister and Brother,_

_Alice and Jasper_

_P.S. It won't be long. We promise that one day very soon your very own Prince Charming will appear and you will begin your very own Happily Ever After!_

Clutching the letter, Bella had to reread it a few times before the words actually sunk in. She had been saved by a couple that could see the future. They were going to ensure her safety and care for her. There was only one explanation that made sense.

She had been saved by the fairies.

Bella sat up and realized that she was clean and dressed in a very soft pair of pajamas.

Bella slowly climbed out of the bed and put on the slippers that were beside the bed. She looked around. She was in a bedroom. It was a very nice bedroom. Apart from the double bed that felt as though she was sleeping on air, there was a side table that held a lamp, a full length free standing mirror and an armoire that was filled with comfortable, shoes and clothing in her size.

All of the furniture was in a warm chocolate brown and the bedding was in a lovely cream colour. There were shutters that covered the window. She walked over to the window and opened them. When her eyes grew accustom to the light, she realized that she was in the middle of the woods.

Bella left the bedroom to examine the rest of her new home. She had never seen anything as luxurious as this. Her family had been working class and had little money left over for anything frivolous.

There was a beautiful kitchen with modern appliances and spacious countertops. It was well stocked with both perishable and no perishable foods.

The bathroom reminded her of the magazines that showed pictures of spas. It had a shower, a Jacuzzi tub, a toilet, a bidet and a double vanity. The colors in here were also cream with chocolate brown.

Next to the bathroom was a tiny laundry room. I just had room for the stackable washer and dryer and the cupboard that housed the ironing board and laundry products.

She walked out to the living room. This had to be her favorite room. Along one wall were wall to wall bookshelves filled with books, DVDs, CDs and photos. On the opposite side of the room was a huge stone fireplace. In the corner was an armoire. When Bella opened it, she was surprised to see a flat panel television, DVD player, CD player and a laptop computer.

There were a cream coloured leather sofa and two armchairs in front of the fireplace. Between it was sleek wooden coffee table resting on what appeared to be a faux bear skinned rug.

There was also a cream loveseat and chair in front of the armoire.

Bella walked over to the bookshelves and examined them. As she had noticed before, there were large selection of movies to watch, music to listen to and books to read.

What took her by surprise were the photos. There were five photo frames. One had a photo of Bella and her parents. She felt a lump in her throat when she saw it.

Beside her family photo were four other frames, three appeared to be wedding photos.

These were of couples that looked oddly familiar?

The names of each couple were engraved on the bottom of each frame. The first couple was Carlisle and Esme, the second couple was Emmett and Rosalie and the third couple was Jasper and Alice.

Next to the wedding photos was a final photo of a young man dressed in a tuxedo but standing alone. He was called Edward. It wasn't until she saw the photo of Edward, with his dazzling smile, that she realized what she was looking at and why they all looked familiar.

These were her fairies, only they were real!

Her beautiful fairy, that she had dreamed of and had loved since she was six years old, was real and his name was Edward! Squealing in delight, Bella took the photo of Edward down and kissed it. Hugging the photo close to her, she then carried it into her bedroom and put it on the side table. She wanted it there so he could watch over her as she slept, as he had been doing for most of her life.

Bella, for all the sadness that she was feeling, was also filled with hope. Although she had lost her parents, she was no longer alone. Her fairies would keep her safe from harm and would care for her. And hopefully one day her Prince Edward would come and they would live Happily Ever After.

Having finished exploring for now, Bella showered, dressed, and ate breakfast. She then took out the stationary and pen that Alice had left for her on the kitchen table and began to write her letter.

_Dear Alice and Jasper,_

_Thank you for rescuing me. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you both. I love my new home. It is beautiful. _

_It makes me sad that we have to wait to meet but I trust that you are doing what is best._

_Since we won't be able to meet for some time and if it is not too much trouble, could you check the future and see if I could finally have a dog? I've always wanted a__female __bichon shih tzu that I could name, Grace._

_I could really use the company right now._

_Love__, Hugs and Kisses,_

_Bella_

The next morning, Bella woke up to a little dog licking her face.

Alice and Jasper could hear her delighted laughter from their hiding spot outside. Jasper let Alice feel the emotions coming off of Bella and it caused them both to beam with happiness.

Yesterday, when Alice had seen Bella's decision to ask for a dog, Jasper had contacted the human lawyer that they used to forge documents and identification. They paid him a ridiculous amount of money to obtain the dog that Bella wanted. They insisted that it was at least 6 months old and had been spayed.

Jasper then drove to the nearest pet store and bought everything that Bella could possibly want or need for her new friend.

He even bought a special dog ID tag. It was the shape of a bone and had Swarovski crystals around the edge. He had it engraved with the name Grace.

After he picked up the dog, he couldn't help but smile when he thought of what her reaction would be the next day.

That night, Alice had a great time unpacking all of Jasper's purchases. He had purchased a book on dog training, a retractable leash, collar, toys, dog food, treats, a food bowl and a water dispenser.

Jasper also purchased an in indoor bed and an outdoor bed. The outdoor bed was wonderful way to keep Grace from lying on the ground and getting dirty or having insects crawl on her.

Another interesting purchase was pet stairs for the living room and bedroom. This would allow Grace to climb up onto the sofa or onto the bed so she could stay close to Bella at all times.

Alice had been worried about getting the dog groomed so Jasper had purchased a grooming kit, how to video, nail grinder, nail clippers and shampoo. Bella would be all set.

Bella took her responsibilities as a pet owner very seriously.

Over the next months, she spent a great deal of time training and showering her new friend with love and affection. Bella always spoke to Grace in a voice that most people adopted when speaking to babies.

Grace was a lovely, sweet tempered, dog. She was very affectionate and loved to cuddle with Bella. However, sometimes she needed her own space and would play independently of her beloved owner.

It was adorable to listen to Bella call out to Grace, asking her to come to her, only for Grace to watch her yet choose not to obey. Bella would then say, "No? Okay." She would then turn away only to find Grace was joining her, at last. It seems that Miss Grace liked to feel as though she was making the decisions.

One thing that was immediately noticeable was that Grace wasn't a barker. Many little dogs are very vocal. Grace on the other hand was a very quiet dog. It was very rare for her to utter a single bark. It was usually when she heard an animal in the woods. She and Bella spent many hours outdoors on the wraparound porch. Bella enjoyed the Adirondack chairs and Grace enjoyed her outdoor bed.

The next thing that was noticeable was the fact that Grace had no problem being around Jasper or Alice. Most animals shy away from vampires but this little dog just accepted them. It was so strange yet it made it easier when they made their nightly visits to restock Bella's home and to write her letters.

Over time a routine was established.

Bella and Alice became pen pals. Alice talked about the other members of the family in such detail that Bella felt she knew them all personally. It filled her with a sense of longing to meet them all, especially Edward.

Jasper became Bella's teacher. He would leave books for her to read, educational videos to watch and assignments for her to complete. Bella was an excellent student and before long she had completed her high school education.

The years passed quickly because Alice and Jasper kept Bella very busy. The first holidays that she spent without her parents were difficult for her but having Grace there seems to ease her pain. Alice and Jasper were sure to always decorate for the holidays and for Bella's birthday.

Alice was constantly checking the future to see everything was still going according to plan. Fortunately, it was and tomorrow would be the start of a new life for them.

Tomorrow Alice and Jasper would finally meet their new sister and begin preparing her for her meeting with her very own prince charming.


	2. Part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.

In the Woods: 

A Bella and Edward Story Part 2

Bella was counting down the minutes. It was the eve of her seventeenth birthday. She had been up since dawn and could hardly wait for 9am to arrive. She had been waiting for this day to arrive for almost four years. Today, at long last, she would meet Alice and Jasper and finally learn the truth.

Bella had already learned that Alice and Jasper were not fairies nor were their family members. It has been a real blow to learn that but Alice softened the blow by revealing that they were indeed supernatural.

That certainly cheered Bella up.

Over the years Alice had been telling Bella all about her family. She learned all about their immortality, their individual gifts, their speed, their strength, their super hearing, the sunlight causing them to sparkle, their inability to sleep and their photographic memories.

The only things that Bella hadn't been told about were their diet and what type of supernatural beings they were because to reveal this too soon would be catastrophic for Bella as well as Alice and Jasper.

Apparently their rulers had a strict law about keeping their existence a secret. Anyone who broke that law would be sentenced to death as would the individual the secret was revealed to.

The only reason that Bella would get to learn the secret today was in preparation for the guest that would arrive tomorrow.

She could hardly believe that as her birthday present she would finally be getting to meet her Edward.

Yes, she had said, her Edward because that is who he is.

Years ago, Bella had asked why Edward was alone in his photograph. Alice had explained that her kind mated for their entire existence. Edward was alone because he hadn't met his mate yet. He wouldn't be able to meet her until her seventeenth birthday. If he had knowledge of her existence before hand, it would result in her death and his devastation.

Losing a mate caused their kind to suffer the loss for the rest of eternity or until they were destroyed.

Once Bella learned that she stopped asking questions for fear a slip would occur. She wasn't as concerned for herself as she was for Edward. After all, the rest of eternity was a very long time.

Bella felt really sorry for Alice. The never ending visions to check the future and the decisions that people keep making that change the outcomes. It must give her a real headache sometimes.

Bella was brought out of her reflections by the sound of her alarm clock.

Just as her alarm beeped to let her know that it was 9am, there was a knock on the door. Both Bella and Grace ran to the door.

Throwing the door open, Bella flew into Alice's arms and wept tears of joy while they swayed back and forth. Then she pulled back from the embrace and turned to Jasper and repeated the greeting. Grace was jumping up to greet them too. Alice scooped the little dog into her arms and carried her indoors.

"Vampires? How can you possibly be vampires? I'm sorry but that is utterly ridiculous, you don't even have fangs." Bella stated.

Bella was looking at Jasper and Alice as though they had both lost their minds.

Jasper was trying his best to hold back his laughter but he was losing that battle. The moment he turned to his wife and saw her trying to contain herself as well, he collapsed on the floor and rolled around laughing.

After all of these years, Jasper really shouldn't be surprised by Bella's reaction but he just couldn't help it. The expression on her face was priceless.

It took a lot of convincing but eventually Bella finally believed that they were vampires. Once she realized that they weren't pulling her leg, she had lots of questions about the ruling vampires, the Volturi and the vegetarian diet.

Jasper confessed to Bella that he hadn't always been a vegetarian and explained his history in more detail. He had his head lowered in shame the whole time. He was so consumed by his shame that he hadn't registered the other emotions in the room. Therefore he was caught off guard when Bella wrapped her arms around him and told him that he was the strongest person that she had ever met. Jasper tried to argue that Carlisle, Rosalie and Alice were the strongest because they had never tasted human blood.

"Silly, Jasper, if they've never tasted it then it wouldn't be as difficult for them to resist it." Bella said as she laughed and shook her head.

Bella wanted to know where Alice and Jasper had been staying while they watched over her. Jasper took her outside to the back of the property and pointed way up into the trees. After a few moments, Bella could make out what looked like a tree house.

She looked at Jasper incredulously. "Are you serious?" she asked.

"Very." He replied. "We have a mobile home parked a few miles away so we go there to freshen up but for the most part we enjoyed being near you. The temperature doesn't affect us so it was no hardship. We love you, Bella and have done since before we met you. There is nothing that we wouldn't endure in order to protect you." Jasper stated with a tender smile.

Bella was in floods.

She loved them both so much and had done since she was a child and first dreamed about them. Bella sat down and told them that she had a dream when she was six. In the dream she met these fairies that were running and playing in the woods. She said that they came to her and promised to be her friends forever and that they would guard her, keeping her safe from harm.

Neither Jasper nor Alice had an explanation for how Bella could possibly have seen them in a dream and remembered them so clearly unless she also had a gift like Alice. They wouldn't know for sure until she was transformed.

Bella wanted to know more about the transformation process. Jasper had more experience so he explained.

Bella blanched at the thought of three days of excruciating burning that the body experienced as the venom worked its way through every cell.

Then her face took on a look of resolve. "If that's what it will take, then I am ready." Bella stated.

Alice told Bella that she would have to wait until after she met with Edward because there was a choice that they had to make together before deciding on when she would be given immortality. Alice assured her that she would give them both the details tomorrow and let them discuss it.

A thought occurred to Bella and she turned to Jasper. Jasper, could you show me the electrical charge you feel when you touch your mate? I would like to know what it feels like so I can recognize it when I meet Edward tomorrow. I don't want to be caught unaware. Jasper was happy to oblige.

Bella was amazed at the intensity of it. She was glad that Jasper showed her. She now felt as prepared as she could be for the next day.

Bella made Jasper and Alice promise that they would stay with her now that she knew the whole truth. They assured her that they wouldn't be leaving. They both tucked her and Grace into bed and smiled in amusement when they saw her kiss Edward's picture.

"Just think, Alice said. "Tomorrow you'll be able to kiss the real thing." Alice teased before dancing out of the room.

Bella just sighed. Yes, tomorrow, she'd be able to kiss the real thing.

Reader, we will be leaving Bella for now as she falls asleep dreaming of Edward. It's time to check in on Edward.

"I've had enough. I cannot take it anymore. I hate being a fifth wheel. Jasper and Alice had the right idea when they went off a few years ago. I love you all but I need some time on my own." Edward said.

Carlisle and Esme were sad to see him go but loved him too much to guilt him into staying where he was unhappy. They hoped that after some time away to reflect, that he would return a happier man.

He bid Carlisle and Esme goodbye and drove off.

Being surrounded by mated couples for almost a century was difficult. He knew that Carlisle had waited a lot longer on his own but he hadn't been surrounded by lovers the whole time. He had his solitude. That's what Edward was seeking now. He just needed some time on his own. That's why he didn't tell anyone where he was headed.

He had decided to go to the Cullen cabin. He had spent his newborn days there and had enjoyed to peace and quiet. It had the added bonus that none of the other family members liked to go there. It was perfect. If he drove straight there, stopping only to refill the gas tank, he'd be there by morning. "Peace and quiet, here I come." Edward said with a smile.

"Tell me again, why I had to do this?" Jasper asked half amused and half exasperated.

"You had to because it was important to Bella." Alice replied with a giggle.

"Bella never ceases to surprise me." Jasper said while he placed each insulated thermos on the counter for Alice to label.

"I wonder how Edward will react." Jasper speculated.

"I'm sure that he will think it is very sweet that Bella is trying to make us all feel accepted." Alice said with a smile.

On the counter were twelve thermoses lined up in groups of three. The labels on each group read, Mountain Lion, Grizzly Bear, Deer and Fox.

As Alice finished labeling the last thermos, she stood back and admired her work. Jasper wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her head.

They both collapsed into fits of laughter.

Only Bella would insist on having thermoses of blood on hand to offer to the vampire guests.

She was sure to keep the family in stitches for the rest of eternity.

"Edward drove up the hidden driveway that the Cullen's used to park their vehicles when they stayed at the Cullen cabin. He was very surprised to see Alice and Jasper's mobile home there.

They had spoken often over the past few years but he hadn't seen either of them. He had always been close with Alice and had really missed his tiny sister.

Although he had wanted to be alone, he also found that he liked the possibility of Alice and Jasper being at the cabin so they could have a little catch up.

He parked the car and took off running to the cabin. Knowing that, with her gift, Alice would have seen him approaching and wouldn't be in a compromising position; Edward knocked on the door and let himself in.

What he saw took his breath away.

Standing between his brother and sister was the most beautiful girl that he had ever seen. He was immediately drawn to her. With a smiling face, she approached him and held out her hand while saying, "Hello, Edward, I'm Bella. I've been waiting an awful long time to meet you."

He took her hand and was brought to his knees by the intensity of the electrical charge yet the look on his face was radiant.

Edward had finally found his mate.

Edward raised her hand to his lips and gave it a kiss. Bella blushed and giggled which caused Edward to grin.

Alice came over and welcomed her brother. Jasper did the same while helping him to his feet and over to the sofa.

"This is Grace." Bella said as she scooped Grace up in her arms.

Grace had been running back and forth trying to greet Edward.

"You can't drink from her though; she's my pet not a snack." Bella said sternly. She cuddled her dog and then lifted Grace up so she could lick Edward's face.

Jasper and Alice took one look at the shocked look on Edward's face and burst out laughing.

Bella jumped up and ran to the kitchen and returned with a tray that had four thermoses, a bottle of water, a bowl and four drinking glasses. Seeing her struggling to balance it while Grace ran around her feet, Alice came over to assist her.

"Now, Edward, what would you like to drink? We have Deer, Grizzly Bear, Fox and Mountain Lion." Bella asked while pointing out each thermos as she ran down the list. When he didn't answer right away, she turned and looked at him expectantly.

Edward was speechless.

He had just sat unblinking as she read the names off of each thermos.

Could she be anymore perfect?

When Bella looked at him he indicated that he would prefer Mountain Lion. Bella smiled at his choice and then served the others. Alice chose Fox, Jasper chose Bear, Grace had a bowl of water and Bella had a glass of water.

"How did you manage this?" Edward asked

"Jasper, being the best brother in the whole wide world, obtained our beverages." Bella said with a brilliant smile.

Edward returned her smile while taking a sip from his glass.

He then turned to his siblings and with a raised eyebrow asked them if they had anything that they would like to share with him.

Alice and Jasper took turns telling Edward everything that had happened to lead them to where they were now.

"There were too many unknowns. For starters, the wolves would have been a problem." Alice started to explain.

"Don't get me started on the wolves," Edward said with disgust.

"When we moved back to the town two years ago, the wolves insisted upon meeting to go over the treaty. Talk about absurd!

I made sure to remind them that we were actually there for the signing of the treaty, that the treaty was our idea and with our photographic memories we were unable to forget the details.

I am so sick of their posturing! They even had the nerve to boast about a vampire they killed eleven years ago.

Carlisle was devastated when he heard the news.

This vampire had heard about Carlisle and our family from friend of his. He had an unusual talent that allowed him to send those around him into a dream like state where they would be able to see their true love. When he heard that I hadn't found my mate, he thought that he could be of assistance to me so he went searching for us.

When he didn't find us straight away, he decided to remain in the area for a few days and wait to see if we would turn up. His presence in the area caused a member of the tribe to transform and the vampire was killed.

He wasn't hunting in the area. He wasn't even on their land, he was in Forks. He only wanted to help our family and ended up dying in vain." Edward said angrily.

Bella, Alice and Jasper looked at each other with wide eyes and then once again Bella rushed away. This time she returned with her photo album. She handed it over to Edward and explained about her dream, the mural and her unwavering devotion to him since she was six years old.

"So, he didn't die in vain after all." Bella said trying to sooth Edward's anger. "I guess not." he responded incredulously.

"Well, at least that is one mystery solved." Jasper said.

"Yes." agreed Alice. "Too bad everything else couldn't have worked out so well." Alice continued.

Alice explained that if they had introduced Bella to him sooner many things could have happened depending on which decision was made.

She had seen nomads killing Bella, Bella being hunted by the men who had killed her parents when they realized she had survived, a jealous Rosalie's calling Tanya who would either kill Bella or report her to the Volturi.

"Who the heck is Tanya?" Bella demanded.

"She is a vampire that has lusted after Edward for decades. She can't seem to take no for an answer. Edward has constantly had to reject her and she still throws herself at him every chance she gets." Jasper explained in disgust.

"She better stay away from him now." Bella said.

"Otherwise I'll tear her limb from limb and then burn the pieces. No one is touching 'My Edward'." Bella growled while gripping Edward possessively.

All three vampires looked at her in amazement.

"Mine!" Bella stated emphatically while wrapping her arms around Edward. Edward returned her embrace while smiling hugely at her show of ownership. She wasn't even a vampire yet and she was a force to be reckoned with.

"So, Alice, you said that you would tell Edward and I something important today that we had to discuss and make an important decision about." Bella reminded her.

"Yes. I know that after your talk with Jasper, you are prepared to have Edward change you today. However, I see two different outcomes that you should be aware of before you make your decision.

The first option would be for Edward to change you today and you both have a happy existence.

You won't need to hide from the family anymore and will be able to rejoin them once you've learned to control the bloodlust.

The second option would be for you to wait and consummate your union while you are still human.

This will mean delaying your change for a month.

The result of that delay would be the birth of two very health and very beautiful vampire hybrid babies.

You would have to stay hidden away from the family and other vampires for seven years so the children are not mistaken for immortal children. Then the four of you would have a happy existence.

Whatever choice you make, Jasper and I will stand by you and protect you.

That is the choice that you have to make." Alice revealed to the shocked couple.

"Happy Birthday Bella!" Alice giggled.


	3. Part 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.

In the Woods: 

A Bella and Edward Story Part 3

"Wait, what's an immortal child and why will we need to stay hidden for another seven years?" Bella asked

"An immortal child is toddler that has been turned into a vampire. It has the gifts of speed and strength but its mental age is frozen at the time it is transformed. This makes it nearly impossible to control. You can imagine the destruction that could occur if an immortal child had a tantrum.

One of the darkest periods in vampire history is when the Volturi had to order the destruction of all the immortal children.

Creating an immortal child has become one of the worst crimes in our world. The penalty is death for both the creator and the created. Under this law, anyone who has knowledge of or protects the child is also punishable.

Remember, what I told you about Aro, one of the Volturi leaders? He can hear every single thought a person has ever had simply by making physical contact with that person. If Aro was to touch the hand of anyone who has seen the twins it would be catastrophic for all of us." Jasper said solemnly.

"Jasper and I have been doing a great deal of research about vampire hybrids and what we've found is absolutely fascinating!" Alice interjected.

"The reason we only need to stay hidden for seven years is because vampire hybrids experience accelerated growth. This is why you'll only be pregnant for one month. The twins will reach full maturity and stop aging when they are approximately seven years old however they will physically appear to be about seventeen years old.

They will have photographic memories and develop mentally at an accelerated rate that surpasses their chronological and biological age. They will be speaking in complete sentences and walking just days after their birth.

They will have a functioning heart with blood flowing through their system. They will need sleep like humans. They will be capable of eating and gaining nourishment from both human food and blood, though they prefer blood.

Those thermoses will come in very handy when it comes collecting blood for them.

They will have flawless skin and in the sunlight they will appear slightly luminous, which will allow them to blend more easily with humans even during bright days.

It is possible that they will possess supernatural gifts that are influenced by you and Edward. We won't know for sure until after they are born because we still don't know if you will have a gift other than your ability to protect your thoughts from Edward." Alice explained.

The room went silent once she'd finished speaking.

The whole while that Alice had been speaking, both Edward and Bella sat with wistful smiles on their faces.

Suddenly, Alice jumped up and shouted excitedly, "Yes, I'm going to be an Auntie!"

Bella and Edward both turned to each other with a hopeful look.

"Really?" they asked each other at the same time.

"Yes!" they responded while embracing one another.

"There is just one thing that I need to do before hand. I just need to go get something from the car. I'll be right back." Edward said while walking to the door.

"Jasper will join you on your trip back to the car." Alice called from the kitchen, having seen what Edward was planning.

Edward explained his intentions during their run and Jasper agreed wholeheartedly.

When they returned to the cabin, Edward walked up to Bella and once again raised her hand to his lips and gave it a sweet kiss.

He then dropped down on one knee and asked her to marry him.

Bella did the only thing a girl could do when the man of her dreams proposes marriage.

She fainted.

Once she came too, she asked Edward if he truly meant it. When he confirmed that he did, she agreed.

Alice having already seen this event so many years ago had already purchased the wedding dress and tuxedo for the happy couple. She even had a bridesmaid dress made for Grace.

After she helped Bella and Grace get ready, they joined the men in the living room.

Jasper, having been ordained to perform weddings, was able to join the two in wedlock. He even produced the wedding certificate for them both to sign.

Alice took photos of the happy couple and with happy tears; she finally put the photo of Edward and Bella in the frame she had engrave years ago.

She then placed it on the bookcase with the others.

Alice and Jasper left the newlyweds alone for the evening and spent the night in their mobile home congratulating one another on a job well done.

That night, the Cullen twins were conceived.

The first week of the pregnancy had been a busy one. During her waking hours, Bella and Edward got acquainted.

Edward was the perfect mate. He was always attentive to her needs and stayed with her while she experienced morning sickness.

Alice and Jasper took turns leaving to run errands.

Alice focused on obtaining all the things the twins would need for their first year of life. Thank goodness there was a large storage room in the cabin; otherwise there wouldn't have been much room to maneuver.

Jasper was focused on getting two vehicles, which could accommodate them in case they needed to go on the run.

He also stock piled flame throwers just in case hostile nomads came around. Jasper wasn't taking any chances; no outsider was leaving those woods alive.

He would protect his loved ones with his life.

During the second week, Bella was sleeping more and her appetite had changed. She was constantly sending Edward out to hunt and return with thermoses of blood to satisfy her pregnancy cravings.

Being a doting husband and father to be, Edward did as he was told.

While Bella slept, Edward recorded audio books of Bella's favorite classic novels. Alice had had a vision of Bella and the babies suffering with separation anxiety whenever they didn't hear Edward's voice for long periods of time.

This seemed like a perfect solution for when Edward needed to leave to hunt. After all, he couldn't be foolish and neglect his own well being, his family was counting on him.

Grace was being a perfect little dog. She rarely left Bella's side. She was constantly nuzzling up against Bella's growing belly. She would whimper if anyone tried to move her. It was as though she was guarding the twins.

Everyone thought it was adorable.

During the third week, Jasper's help was required. He was constantly calming the babies and trying to get them to settle down. They were kicking up a storm and Bella's body wasn't able to withstand that kind of stress.

Fortunately, thanks to the audio books with Edward's voice and Jasper's gift, Bella was able to make it through the week without too much pain.

During the final week, Bella was in agony. The babies were too big. They were running out of space and Jasper couldn't calm them.

Fortunately, Alice had a vision that an early delivery wouldn't hurt the twins.

With Alice's reassurance that everything would be just fine, Edward performed a Caesarean section and delivered his children.

Once Bella had kissed her babies, Alice and Jasper took them into the other room and allowed Edward to grant his beloved immortality.

Jasper always said that Bella would never cease to amaze him and she kept proving him right. Jasper had more experience than his siblings when it came to the transformations of human to vampire yet he had never seen anything like this before. Usually, he would witness days of agonizing screams.

Bella however, wasn't screaming.

She was lying there peacefully with a huge smile on her face. Every once in a while she would sigh and say Edward's name. Eternity was never going to be boring with Bella around.

That was a certainty.

Three days after the birth of her babies, Bella awoke from the last nap she'd ever take. She smiled at everyone around her bed.

Bella had been nervous that she would have been kept from her children when she woke to her vampire life.

Thankfully, Alice had seen that Bella wouldn't be fighting to overcome any bloodlust and that her children were safe to be around her.

Her babies were brought to her outstretched arms.

The twins were perfect little miniatures of their parents. Their son looked exactly like Edward except his eyes were green, as Edward's had been when he was human. Their daughter looked exactly like Bella had when she was human right down to her brown eyes.

"Now will you finally name them?" Alice asked impatiently.

Although Alice knew the names that Bella had chosen, she had hidden them from Edward and had been calling the children Baby Girl and Baby Boy.

Bella had been resolute that the children not be named until after she woke from the change. Edward had agreed to this and had decided that since Bella was the one to suffer through the pregnancy, he would go along with any names that she chose.

Bella smiled and said, "I would like to introduce you to Elizabeth Marie Cullen and Masen Anthony Cullen.

"I hope you don't mind, Edward. I just thought that since your human mother was the one that convinced Carlisle to save you, that she should be honored. Also, I thought that by giving our son, your human family name, that it wouldn't be lost." Bella said.

Edward gave her a look of pure joy.

"I love that you would honor my human parents this way. Thank you." Edward said as he leaned in to give her a kiss.

"Oh, Elizabeth and Masen love their names too." He let her know what the twins were thinking.

Bella watched as her children reached out for Alice and Jasper. It made her smile to see how they had already bonded with their aunt and uncle.

She turned to Edward and motioned for him to make the request that they had decided before the children's birth.

"Jasper and Alice, would you do us the honor of being the godparents for the twin?"Edward asked.

The couple beamed at him and agreed.

"Great, you are on babysitting duty while I take my wife out for her first hunt." Edward announced.

Bella just laughed while her husband rushed her out the door.


	4. Part 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.

In the Woods: 

A Bella and Edward Story Part 4

"Masen, what do you think you are doing?" Bella demanded.

"What?" asked Masen, in an innocent tone that deceived no one.

Everyone turned to see Masen trying to feed Grace his dinner under the table.

"You need to eat your dinner." Bella said sternly.

"Yes, Masen come now, eat up. It's been lovingly prepared and is good for you," Elizabeth said in a perfect imitation of her mother's voice and expression.

The room exploded in laughter.

Masen kicked his sister under the table which sent her off in tears to find her father. Elizabeth was her daddy's little princess and always ran to him for comfort.

"Masen! You apologize to your sister this instant, young man." Bella scolded.

Masen glowered at her but apologized.

Then he turned back to his mother who pointed to his plate and insisted that he finish his dinner.

It was an unpleasant scene as Bella gave Masen the 'universal Mom stare' until he complied. Eventually, Masen scowled and stuffed the vegetables in his mouth and forced them down, amid hearty snickers from the grownups.

After the children were put to bed, the grownups reconvened in the living room.

"They are growing up so quickly." Bella lamented.

"Yes, they sure are. It's a good thing we don't age otherwise we'd all have grey hairs by now." Edward added.

That brought a smile to everyone's face but then the group got very serious.

"So Jasper, are you ready for tomorrow?" Bella asked.

Sensing Edward's and Bella's anxiety, Jasper sent out waves of tranquility to try to calm the couple. He understood why they were feeling this way and he empathized. Things were about to change rather drastically for their household.

Reader, in order to understand this upcoming change, I will need to take you back a month and fill you in on a discovery that Edward and Jasper made.

The men were going to hunt and fill thermoses for the twins. Before leaving, Edward kissed his wife and told her to keep his family safe. She assured him that she would. Masen assured his daddy that he would help too.

After an exhilarating hunt, the men returned and almost lost their minds.

As Edward approached the cabin, he heard nothing. In alarm, he turned to Jasper and found that Jasper felt no emotions at all coming from the cabin. They rushed in fearing the worst only to find their women playing with Grace and the twins.

Thoroughly perplexed, they explained what they had just experienced. Upon hearing this, Alice went outside and tried her gift and found that it also didn't work on the occupants of the cabin.

It turned out that Bella had taken Edward's words to heart when she promised to keep his family safe. With that promise, her mental shield, which protected her thoughts from Edward, had extended itself to protect everyone in the cabin.

Jasper was the first to point out that that made sense when it came to Edward's gift but not his. Bella's gift protected the mind from attack but not the body.

Masen looked at his uncle and frowned.

"Uncle Jasper, I promised daddy that I would help mommy so I did." Masen said in exasperation. He turned to Elizabeth and said, "Grownups never listen." Elizabeth nodded her head in agreement.

The shocked couples turned to the children and asked them to explain.

It was on that day that they discovered both twins also were gifted.

Masen, like his mother, had a shield but his was to protect him and those around him from the gifts of other vampires. It worked on gifts that affected both the mind and the body. Bella and Edward were relieved that no harm would ever come to their son thanks to his shield and the training he was receiving from his Uncle Jasper.

Jasper took his role of Godfather very seriously and as soon as the twins were old enough to roughhouse, he started training them how to fight in order to protect themselves from hostile vampires.

Elizabeth took after both her mother and father. She was able read minds but she also had a shield that allowed her to block the thoughts unless she wanted to listen. Edward was both happy for and envious of, his daughter's ability to choose what voices to listen to.

Shortly after discovering the gifts that would keep the family from harm, Alice started checking the future to see what would happen if they decided to contact Esme and Carlisle.

She found that the perfect time was approaching because Rosalie and Emmett had just left to go off on their own. They were heading off to Australia for their second honeymoon and had no intention of returning for at least a decade. With Rosalie out of the picture and the gift of the shields, she was confident that the Volturi would stay ignorant of their existence. Even if Aro had one of the guards try to track Carlisle, which he did ever so often to keep tabs on his growing coven, he wouldn't be able to find him.

Carlisle's friendship with Aro had always made the decision to cut him out of the children's lives an easy one. Now that the threat had been eliminated, she sat down with the others and they decided to make contact with Carlisle and Esme.

Jasper telephoned the lawyer and had him schedule an appointment with Carlisle and Esme under the pretense of discussing some changes that were being made to their identification.

While this topic came up, both Bella and Edward finally questioned Alice about the threat that Rosalie posed.

This was not an easy conversation but it certainly was a necessary one. The couple needed to understand just how dangerous she was and still could be.

Alice explained that she had seen that Rosalie would have been jealous of Bella for a number of reasons regardless of when they had met. A jealous Rosalie is a spiteful and vindictive woman.

When Bella was a human, Rosalie would have hated her because Edward hadn't shown any interest in her but ended up mating with a human she thought was less attractive than her. Her vanity knew no bounds.

She also would have felt that bringing a human around would attract unnecessary attention from the wolves and the town of Forks. She would have also constantly tried to guilt Bella about the Volturi finding out that a human had learned their secret.

Alice saw her making Bella's life a miserable one; going so far as to plot with Tanya to break up Edward and Bella because she couldn't stand to see him happy after his rejection of her and her beauty.

If she had found out about the pregnancy, she would have been livid that Bella was getting what she always wanted but could never have. She would have ensured that Bella suffered a stressful pregnancy always hoping that she would die in childbirth. If this were to happen she knew that Edward would never recover and she figured that she would get the babies and be rid of both Edward and Bella. If this didn't work, she planned to go to the Volturi and convince them that Bella had created immortal children in order to have the couple and the children destroyed. She didn't want anyone to have what she couldn't.

When Edward and Bella learned about this, they were more determined than ever to keep Rosalie from every coming near their children. Edward felt sorry that Emmett was missing out on their lives but the bad outweighed the good so those feelings were pushed aside very quickly.

When the lawyer had given Carlisle and Esme the option of reuniting with their family, they had gladly accepted. He made them aware that if they were to agree they would have to disappear from society for the next six and a half years. They still agreed. They packed their essentials to bring with them and put the rest into storage.

Tomorrow Jasper was going to pickup Esme and Carlisle and escort them to the Cullen cabin.

It was sure to be a very important day and would definitely mean drastic changes in the Cullen household.


	5. Part 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.

In the Woods: 

A Bella and Edward Story Part 5

Carlisle was comforting his distraught, wife.

Over the past few years, their family had drifted apart.

First Alice and Jasper left to be on their own. They said that they would return one day but just needed some quality time to concentrate on their relationship.

Next Edward left to live in solitude because he couldn't deal with being the odd man out amongst mated pairs any longer.

Finally just last week, Rosalie and Emmett decided to go off on a second honeymoon. They weren't planning on returning for the next decade.

Honestly, their departure was less of a blow because Rosalie had been a pain to deal with since Carlisle had the misfortune of granting her immortality. Carlisle was fond of Emmett but was glad to be rid of Rosalie for the next decade.

Esme, on the other hand, was suffering from Empty Nest Syndrome. Carlisle was about to suggest that they take a holiday when his phone started to ring.

Carlisle was surprised to hear from their lawyer, Mr. Jay Jenks. He insisted that Carlisle and Esme meet with him to discuss changes to their identification. Hearing the urgency in his voice, the couple drove right over to meet him.

When they arrived, Mr. Jenks apologized for deceiving them and explained that he had something very important to discuss with them. He said that he had been contacted by one of their children and had been asked to act as mediator in order to protect them.

Both Carlisle and Esme exchanged confused looks but didn't interrupt him.

Mr. Jenks said that the child who had made contact, wished to have both Carlisle and Esme in their life but that they were in a very dangerous situation. He couldn't divulge the nature of the situation but informed them that if they agreed to join their child, they would have to disappear and stay hidden from society for the next six and a half years.

Carlisle and Esme turned to each other and knew what the other was thinking. If one of their children needed them, they would move heaven and earth to help them.

Mr. Jenks warned them not to mention their departure to any family member otherwise it would put them all in grave danger.

Carlisle and Esme agreed and went straight home to pack. They were given instructions about where to meet the next day and wished the best of luck.

Carlisle and Esme had taken a cab, as requested, to the airport and went to wait at the pickup location. They had been waiting for less than 30 seconds, before Jasper pulled up in a vehicle with tinted windows and helped them load their belongings.

After they exchanged greetings, he explained that he couldn't take a chance of being overheard. He assured them that they would know everything once they arrived at their destination but that in the meantime, they needed to trust him.

Both Carlisle and Esme assured him that they did and they sat quietly for the entire trip.

After he parked in the driveway, he assisted them with their belongings and they all run to the cabin.

Carlisle and Esme were surprised to see that Jasper had taken them to the Cullen cabin. None of the children liked going there because with the exceptions of Jasper and Alice, it held horrible memories of their newborn days.

Jasper opened the door and ushered them in.

Carlisle and Esme had expected to see Alice because there was no way that Jasper would ever willingly leave her side. They were surprised but also delighted to see Edward there. It was unexpected because they thought that he had gone off to seek solitude. What was even more unexpected was to see another female vampire, two children and a dog.

They were greeted warmly by Alice and Edward. Then Edward introduced Bella, their children and of course little Grace.

To say that Carlisle and Esme were shocked would be an understatement. Once the shock wore off, hugs and kisses were exchange. Then everyone moved into the living room so that Carlisle and Esme could be let in on the secret.

Elizabeth, Masen and Grace climbed onto the sofa with them as

Alice explained how they all came to be there.

The couple was sitting in stunned silence trying to absorb everything that they had heard.

Bella broke the silence when she addressed Carlisle.

"Carlisle, I just wanted to thank you so much for saving my husband. If it wasn't for you, we would have never met. I can't thank you enough. Please know that for the rest of eternity, you with have my undying gratitude." she said with a trembling voice.

If Carlisle could have cried, he would have. Apart from Esme, no one had ever thanked him for the granting them immortality. He was truly touched by her sincerity and he let her know it.

Esme was the one to address the Rosalie situation. "Not being able to have a child of her own must really be causing her pain."

"Esme, lots of women are unable to have children of their own. They don't all turn out like her." Edward said rather harshly.

"Just look at yourself if you want an example of how a woman can handle that situation with grace." Alice said while giving Esme a tender smile.

"Alice has a point, dear." Carlisle said while embracing Esme affectionately.

"Whenever Rosalie is faced with a choice, she always chooses the wrong way. It's not in her nature to be maternal. Deep down, I think she is just using that excuse as a way to punish Carlisle for changing her. She was never satisfied in her human life and she will never be in this life." Jasper added.

Everyone sat silently digesting Jasper's words.

Esme again broke the silence this time. She was also very worried about Tanya. She reminded them all that every few years Tanya sought out Edward to make a play for him.

She was interrupted by growls from Bella and the twins.

"She'll have to get by me first." The three said in unison.

The room erupted in laughter.

Edward grinned broadly at his wife and children, thoroughly amused at their possessive nature.

Once the laughter died down, Alice explained that she was watching the future very carefully and they would know as soon as she did of any dangers.

For now, they were safe to enjoy each other's company and to bond as a family.

After the children were put to bed, the grownups all sat in the living room to catch up.

"It is such a shame that Emmett has to miss out on all of this, Carlisle commented.

"Yes, I agree." said Esme.

"Well, I disagree." Bella stated rather angrily.

Alice, Jasper and Edward turned to her, stunned. They had never heard Bella speak in anger. She may have scolded the twins but Bella didn't usually succumb to anger. This anomaly earned everyone's attention.

"Emmett might seem to have a fun loving nature but his insensitivity towards Edward knew no bounds.

He was constantly making horrible jokes at Edward's expense and according to Alice's visions; he would have just switched tactics if he met me. Instead of harassing Edward about his lack of a sex life, he would have harassed us both about our new one.

Emmett's tactless behavior was tolerated under your roof however it will never be tolerated under ours.

I won't allow anyone to hurt Edward or mock our relationship.

I am absolutely shocked that the family just let him constantly torment Edward by allowing his behavior to continue.

You all know about Edward's upbringing and morals. He had enough to cope with being the odd man out amongst mated pairs. The fact that Emmett wasn't stopped from constantly harassing Edward with crude jokes and bombarding him with unwanted sexual images is repugnant to me.

At least you and Esme as well as Jasper and Alice showed some compassion by not rubbing your relationship in Edward's face.

Rosalie and Emmett were absolutely classless in their conduct.

Rosalie is by all accounts a hateful person and for Emmett to join her in hurting Edward, makes him just as bad in my opinion.

Mate or not, if you see someone behaving badly, you correct them not encourage them.

If I ever meet Emmett, he better watch himself." Bella stated with ferocity.

"I never realized." Carlisle said apologetically. "I am so sorry, son."

"Oh, Edward. I am terribly sorry, sweetheart." cried Esme.

"Thank you for your apologies." Edward replied.

Edward turned to his wife and embraced her.

"It is so wonderful to have such a supportive mate. I am truly blessed to have found you." Edward said lovingly.

Bella gave him a kiss on the cheek and then turned to Jasper.

"Jasper, I could really use your help, please." she said with a tight smile.

Smiling, Jasper sent a wave of tranquility at Bella to help calm her down.

"Thanks, Jasper. I really needed that." Bella said with a radiant smile.

"I am sorry for losing my temper everyone. I am not sorry for what I said. I meant every word of it but I am sorry that I exploded like that." Bella said

"When I was growing up, my parents taught me that in families we should be able to find our safe harbor from the evils in the world. I want to raise my children the same way.

After the way that those two have treated my Edward in the past and the visions of their possible choices, I don't want them anywhere near any of us." Bella stated rather firmly.

Everyone promised to respect her wishes and promised that she and Edward had their full support.

Readers, it's a very good thing that Bella and Edward had their support. They were certainly going to need it.


	6. Part 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.

In the Woods: 

A Bella and Edward Story Part 6

Reader, shortly after the twins were born, we discovered that they, like their parents, have gifts.

Elizabeth can read minds like Edward but only the ones that she chooses. She does this by throwing a shield around the person whose thoughts she wishes to access. Her mind however, is protected like Bella's with a filter of sorts against all the other noises.

Masen can throw his shield up to protect against gifts that attack the body. This is the opposite of Bella's gift which only protects her mind.

Please keep these things in mind as we rejoin the Cullen family and continue on with our story.

When Edward and Carlisle returned from their hunt, a relieved Bella came out to join them. She let them know the twins were up to something.

Bella had been concerned because they weren't their usual mischievous selves. They had been thick as thieves all day long and had been dividing their time between Jasper and Alice. They were constantly asking them to use their gifts and then running off to have whispered conversations. They had been so very serious all day that she had found it rather alarming.

As she was about to confront them, Alice pulled her aside and assured her that all would be revealed when their daddy and granddad arrived home. It was very important to them that the whole family was there.

As soon as they entered the cabin, Elizabeth flew into her daddy's arms and gave him a great big hug and a smooch on the cheek.

Edward in turn, tickled his little princess.

"Daddy, Masen and I have exciting news!" Elizabeth said with a tinkling laugh.

"Yes, but it would be much easier to demonstrate than to explain." said Masen as he hugged his daddy around the legs.

Grace not wanting to be left out of the fun stood on her hind legs and waved her front paws to get Edward's attention. He scooped her up and allowed her to lick his face as he followed his children.

Everyone moved into the living room and sat down facing the twins who were preparing themselves for the big reveal they had planned.

As the twins took a deep breath and were about to begin, a few stray thoughts got Edward's attention.

Edward stifled a gasp as he heard the thoughts of his children.

"Please don't spoil the surprise, daddy." Elizabeth pleaded with him in her thoughts.

Edward smiled at her lovingly and gave her a slight nod to let her know that he would let them do things their way.

The twins asked everyone to please sit quietly and to hold all of their questions until the three demonstrations were over.

The grownups agreed.

Alice and Edward were the only ones that weren't exchanging curious expressions.

For the first demonstration, Masen threw his shield around Alice and asked her look into the future to see what the weather would be like the next day. Alice did as she was asked and let everyone know that it would be sunny out. Masen thanked her and released her from his shield.

"Masen, please look into the future and let us know what the weather will be like a week from tomorrow." Elizabeth asked

Masen did as requested and said that it would be overcast. Elizabeth then turned to Alice and asked her to confirm that for them. Once again, Alice did as requested and confirmed that Masen was in fact correct.

Jasper, Bella, Esme and Carlisle exchange startled glances but kept their thoughts and comments to themselves.

For the second demonstration, Masen threw his shield around Jasper and asked him to use his gift to send the grownups waves of sadness. Jasper did as requested and then Masen released him from his shield.

"Masen, please send waves of amusement to the grownups." Elizabeth requested. With a smirk that was identical to his father's, Masen happily did as requested.

Masen stopped messing with their emotions and switched places with his sister, letting her take centre stage.

For the third and final demonstration, Elizabeth threw her shield around the group and thought about just how much she loved and cherished each one of them.

They were all able to hear her thoughts and smiled lovingly at their little girl.

"As you can see, Elizabeth and I seem to have each developed a secondary gift." said Masen stating the obvious.

"Elizabeth can now send thoughts to anyone she throws her shield around." Masen explained to the group.

"Masen can now throw a shield around a vampire and absorb their gift. Once he has absorbed the gift with his shield, he can use that gift as if it were his own. As long as the shield remains around the vampire, there is no limit to how often he uses their gift. However, once he has removed the shield it only seems to work once for him. Another bonus is that the other vampire doesn't feel when his gift is being absorbed." Elizabeth explained their findings from the day's experiments.

Everyone was stunned yet pleased by this turn of events. They all spent the evening testing these new gifts until it was bedtime for the children.

After tucking the children and Grace in for the night, the grownups all gathered on the porch to discuss this new development.

"Carlisle, have you ever heard of vampires with more than one gift?" Esme asked.

"No, dear. You have to remember that the children aren't full vampires. As vampires, we are frozen. The children are half human and this allows them to grow and develop in ways that aren't possible for vampires. Their vampire half is accelerating that growth and development. It is truly remarkable." Carlisle commented.

"They are growing up so quickly. I am just relieved that these gifts of theirs will help them protect one another." Jasper pointed out.

He had spent a good portion of the evening testing the twins to see if their shields could be shared between the two and it worked with no problems at all.

"The only downside is that it seems to drain them physically. Their heads barely hit the pillow before they were asleep." Edward said with obvious concern.

"I just looked into the future. As they grow, they'll be able to use these gifts without it affecting them as it does now. It will become second nature to them by the time they reach maturity. These gifts are just so new that their bodies haven't grown accustomed to them yet. Please relax. I promise that everything will be fine on that front." Alice reassured her family.

"Thank you, Alice that really eases my mind." said Bella, who had been quietly contemplating everything she had learned that evening.

Both Edward and Bella thanked Alice for her reassurance.

After that, each couple split up, to spend some quality time with their mate while taking in the beautiful starry night.


	7. Part 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.

In the Woods: 

A Bella and Edward Story Part 7

Reader, as we rejoin the Cullen family, some time has passed. The children are now half way to reaching maturity.

Each member of the family took an active role in the growth and development of the twins which made their home schooling fun for them.

Edward focused on languages, literature and music. Elizabeth really enjoyed these lessons, although she was a miniature of her mother in appearance, her interests mirrored her father's.

Carlisle focused on arts, math and science. Masen really enjoyed his time with his granddad. The two of them spent many hours going over medical journals. Edward would occasionally join in the conversations. He also had two medical degrees but usually left them to bond over their shared interests, uninterrupted.

Jasper focused on history and battle training. Battle training was something that both twins excelled at. Their family always gathered to watch these lessons. It was actually awe inspiring to watch. If they were ever in a physical fight, they would be near impossible to beat.

Esme focused on gardening, etiquette and home economics. She was determined that if they ever wanted to venture out on their own, they would be able to care for themselves. She also wanted them to have impeccable manners so that they would be able to handle any situation once the family rejoined society.

Alice focused on finances and developing their gifts. Her prediction that it wouldn't drain them as they grew older and were more accustomed to using them was spot on.

Bella focused on cooking lessons and nutrition. Although the twins loved their hunting trips, their bodies also needed human food. She wanted to be sure that they were able to prepare delicious foods and wouldn't become fast food addicts once they were introduced to it. Surprisingly, Masen was the one to most enjoy his cooking lessons with his mother.

Grace also took part in their education. She was focused on comfort and playtime. She always sat patiently by their sides and when she saw that they were getting frustrated, she would climb onto their laps and lick their faces until they were giggling at her antics.

Today was the day before Valentine's Day. They children were making their usual Valentine cards while the others were busy pursuing their own pastimes.

Alice had left after her lesson with Masen and was away getting supplies.

Elizabeth encouraged Masen to look into Alice's future and see what surprises she had planned for their Valentine's celebration the next day. Their aunt always went all out to make every special occasion a real treat for the family.

While Masen was looking into Alice's future, he fell to the floor with a look of pure agony on his face. Knowing that her brother couldn't reenter once he exited the vision, Elizabeth threw her shields around him. She reassured him that she could read his mind and act as a conduit between him and the family.

This calmed him and allowed him to stay focus on all the possible outcomes for his family. Bella, seeing her son fall ran and cradled him in her arms and screamed to get the attention of the other family members.

"Uncle Jasper, Aunt Alice is in grave danger! Hurry, please save her." Elizabeth cried.

"Edward was also reading the children's thoughts and was appalled by what he saw. He handed Esme the satellite phone that they used to communicate when any of them had to run errands for supplies. Esme held the phone up to Elizabeth so she could communicate with the men as they ran to the vehicle and raced to assist Alice.

What Elizabeth relayed to them was horrible.

While Alice was shopping, she had crossed the path of a lethal vampire named James. He was a tracker who enjoyed hunting humans and vampires for sport.

He had hunted Alice when she had been human and was planning on killing her. He had be thwarted when another vampire had taken pity on Alice and had changed her in order to save her. James had killed Alice's sire in vengeance for ruining his fun. Having no use for Alice, he left her to fend for herself.

James was at a bit of a loose end at the moment and incredibly bored.

When he crossed paths with Alice; he decided to stalk her, capture and torture her until she begged for death. He even enlisted the help of his mate, Victoria in his little game.

Elizabeth told them that Alice saw what was coming for her and that Masen would too. Alice made the decision not to call them for help. She didn't want to alert James and Victoria to the fact that help was on the way. She saw that doing this would result in them retreating and tracking her to the cabin. This would put the whole family in danger. This way, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the men would hopefully get to her in time. Together, the four of them could easily destroy the two nomads without much difficulty.

Elizabeth stayed on the line until the men got into the city and then the women switched to communicating by text messaging. They needed to stay in contact with the men but they didn't want an overheard conversation to tip off the nomads.

The men received a final message as they pulled up to the mall.

The female had the gift of evasion and would create and army of newborns to avenge the death of her mate. Her escape would mean the death of them all.

Alice was feeling incredibly thankful that she had worked with Masen before leaving for her trip. She was also happy that the twins seemed to love her gift so much that they used any opportunity to share it. This was their only chance to destroy the nomads and end the treat they posed to the family.

Alice needed to buy herself and the men time so she decided to stick to a crowded mall. She decided to wait until the very last moment and then she ventured out into the deserted alley behind the building.

The security cameras here had been broken for a week so there was no chance for exposure.

As the door closed behind her, she pretended to be annoyed that she came the wrong way, huffed in apparent frustration and moved further down the alley.

The male nomad moved out of the shadow and introduced himself as James.

He wasn't much to look at. He could only be described as average. His hair way tied in a ponytail and his clothing was filthy. This wasn't unusual for nomads. They were usually unkempt.

James pretended to be offended that Alice didn't remember him. He taunted her by reminiscing about her past.

She found out that she was born Mary Alice Brandon. She was from Biloxi and her parents had left her to rot in an asylum while telling the world that she had died.

Although, Alice had already seen this, it didn't take the pain of the news away. He went on to tell her about the old vampire who had worked at the asylum and decided to change her to protect her from James.

Alice stood there expressionless as he boasted about how he had killed her sire for ruining his fun. Alice just had to keep him talking until the correct moment. As he started to stalk forward, she asked him what he planned to do with her. He answered, with a gleeful smile, that he and his mate, Victoria, planned to torture and kill her.

Alice let Edward know in her thoughts that it was time.

She turned and was face to face with Victoria. At the same moment, the men jumped down from their positions on the roof. Jasper landed behind Victoria. He and Alice wasted no time in destroyed her. Meantime, Carlisle and Edward destroyed James.

They made quick work of dumping the pieces of the nomads into a nearby dumpster and setting their remains on fire.

Alice ran to her saviors and gave them each a hug and with a trembling voice, thanked them for coming to her rescue.

Jasper couldn't believe how close he had been to losing his mate. He embraced her and sank to his knees and shook with tearless sobs.

Edward and Carlisle gave the couple a moment of privacy while Carlisle placed a call to Esme.

Thanks to Masen, they already knew the outcome.

Masen finally exited the vision and asked to speak to his aunt. He cried into the phone and pleaded with her to hurry home.

Alice didn't need to be asked twice. They hurried and purchased all of the supplies that Alice had come to the city for.

Alice also bought the children the new video game system that they had been asking for, as well as a whole set of games.

Edward and Bella had been reluctant to allow their children to play video games but with a pout, she convinced Edward that they had earned it for helping to save her life.

Edward called Bella to get her opinion and she agreed with Alice.

When they got back to the cabin, Edward and Bella were proud to witness their children thank Alice for her thoughtful gift and then put it aside to play with another time.

Instead of playing with their new toy, they requested that Alice come and read them a story. They both clung to her and she stayed with them until they fell asleep.

Jasper was deep in thought as Alice carefully slipped out of the bed and joined the grownups.

She sat on Jasper's lap and he said, "Fate works in mysterious ways. All those years ago we set out to look after Bella in order to ensure that our brother got his Happily Ever After. It turns out that decision also ensured our Happily Ever After as well."

Everyone in the room silently agreed and sent up a prayer of thanks to heaven. It had been a stressful few hours and they were all grateful that their family had come out of the incident unscathed.

They were also worried about what other unexpected dangers they would be faced with in the near future.

Reader, it turns out that they were right to worry.


	8. Part 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.

In the Woods: 

A Bella and Edward Story Part 8

The family was counting down their final year of hiding the twins. They had almost reached maturity and certainly looked it. They were perfect miniatures of their parents. It was decided that Bella and Elizabeth would pose as twins and Edward and Masen would as well.

As their time to hide was coming to an end, preparations were underway to integrating the family into society.

Alice was busy for hours looking into the details surrounding each possible move. Jasper took each decision and planned everything with military precision. The discussions were always long and incredibly dull so the twins always excused themselves to hunt.

As always, before they left, they had Alice look into the future to make sure that it was safe. Masen threw his shield around his aunt just in case he needed her gift while they were out. It was unlikely since they were so deep in the wilderness but one could never be too careful.

After their hunt, the twins went for a run as was their custom.

The freedom that they experienced while running with abandon was something they found truly exhilarating.

They had been assured by their family members that they wouldn't lose this freedom once they moved because their new home would also be surrounded by woods. They had been very pleased to hear that.

They were so distracted that they hadn't realized their hunt had been witnessed and that they were currently being followed.

Tanya had gotten into a fight with her latest lover and in a fit of temper; she had taken off running until she reached a cliff overlooking vast woodlands. She had decided that a good wallowing was in order so she took a seat on the edge of the cliff and pouted like the spoiled brat that she was.

She was distracted from her pity party when she saw what appeared to be two vampires hunting. To her surprise and absolute delight, one of the vampires looked like Edward. It had been more than a decade since Tanya had last tried to seduce him so she figured it was high time she paid Edward a visit. After all, he was bound to give in to her eventually.

Tanya had no idea who the female was but she decided that some covert sleuthing was necessary until she decided if this female was a threat to her or not.

Masen and Elizabeth had decided to head back home when their progress was impeded by a vampire. Looking into her topaz coloured eyes clued them into the fact that she was vegetarian. Her signature strawberry curls made them aware that this was in fact Tanya, the bane of their father's existence.

Elizabeth immediately threw her shield around the vampire so that she could read her thoughts. She was infuriated when she found out that Tanya was seeing Masen's resemblance to Edward and imagining all sorts of depraved acts involving them.

Tanya came forward and introduced herself to Masen, completely ignoring Elizabeth. She tried to be alluring but failed miserably. She was trying to figure out why this male looked identical to her Edward and even smelled similar to him. She had been watching the pair for some time as they were hunting and playing in the woods. She knew they weren't human and yet they had a heartbeat. Her brain was working overtime and she came to the conclusion that Edward had been a naughty boy and had fathered a hybrid.

Hybrids were very uncommon in the vampire world because most vampires lived only to fulfill their baser desires for blood and sex. They were usually very selfish creatures that couldn't be bothered saddling themselves with offspring.

Tanya was busy trying to think of ways to use the son to get the father when Elizabeth interrupted her inner dialog.

"We're very sorry to disappoint you, Tanya." Elizabeth said in a voice that dripped with sarcasm. "Your little plans won't work because our father and the love of his existence won't allow it."

Tanya whipped around in shock. "Edward is mine! I am the love of his existence," she growled.

"No, you're not." Masen laughed. "Our mother is."

"Edward is a gentleman. He is obviously grateful that she was willing to bear his children but he couldn't possibly love her since I am his mate. Once I've gotten rid of her, I'll forgive him for his little indiscretion and we'll be a happy family." Tanya said with a wistful smile.

With raised eyebrows, the twins exchanged glances that showed they both believed her to be mental.

Elizabeth had been reading Tanya's thoughts and Masen had been looking into her future. What Masen saw truly frightened him. Tanya would stop at nothing to destroy their mother.

Elizabeth threw her shield around Masen and told him her thoughts. Tanya needed to be stopped. He nodded to indicate his agreement.

"That was a very unwise move, Tanya. We don't take too kindly to threats against our loved ones." Elizabeth said through gritted teeth.

"What are you going to do about it?" Tanya let out a derisive laugh. She clearly underestimated their ability to thwart her.

"We're going to handle things the way our father should have done decades ago." Masen said solemnly.

Tanya didn't get a chance to reply as the twins wasted no time in dismembering her. Elizabeth pulled out the lighter her Uncle Jasper always made her carry and turned Tanya to ashes.

Once the fire has been safely put out, they headed home, arm in arm.

When they got home, they found everyone waiting for them on the wraparound porch. Alice had been so distracted with the planning that she hadn't seen anything.

Masen and Elizabeth wasted no time in regaling the family with their little adventure.

There were mixed emotions from the group once the story had been told.

Grace was thrilled to have the twins' home. Jasper was very proud of his little fighters. Bella was furious with Tanya's audacity. Edward was ashamed that he hadn't dealt more firmly with Tanya years ago. Alice was sorry she had missed the action. Carlisle and Esme were feeling guilty that they hadn't stepped in and stopped Tanya from her constant pursuit of Edward. Masen and Elizabeth were both feeling very pleased about a job well done.

Everyone was happy that they had been rid of another threat and none of the family was harmed.

"We told you she'd have to get by us first." Masen said as he turned and winked at his sister.

The room exploded in raucous laughter.

Feeling tired after their eventful day, Masen and Elizabeth bid their relatives goodnight. They needed their rest. After all tomorrow was another day and who knew what adventures awaited them.


	9. Part 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.

In the Woods: 

A Bella and Edward Story Part 9

After many late night discussions of the pros and cons, it was decided to let Elizabeth and Masen have a day trip to the city. This way they would get a taste of things to come and not be overwhelmed when they finally moved to their new home.

Carlisle thought it would be better to take each twin separately so that they each had the undivided attention from their tour guides.

Edward, Jasper and Carlisle had left earlier that morning to take Elizabeth for her first trip into the city.

Bella, Grace, Alice and Esme were trying to keep Masen entertained. He was not happy that Elizabeth had won the coin toss which allowed her to be the first to make the trip. They were in the middle of their picnic when Alice got a vision.

"Oh, my goodness! It looks as though all of our planning for the move just went out the window. Ladies and Gentleman, we certainly have our work cut out for us." Alice announced to the group.

Throughout the trip, Elizabeth had been throwing her shield around random people. She found a great difference in their thoughts than what she was used to. Although the twins had lived in a protected environment for their entire lives, they weren't ignorant to the ways of the world. They read, watch DVDs and had lengthy conversations with their elders. However, none of this prepared Elizabeth for the absolute cruelty that was in the minds and behavior of many humans she encountered. She had received a small dose of evil when she met Tanya but this was beyond anything she had imagined. She had no idea how her father was able to cope with listening to all of the thoughts going on around him. He had to be one of the strongest men she knew. She leaned over and with a look of pure adoration; she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Edward was filled with pride at his daughter's thoughts. He'd never considered things from that perspective. It was really refreshing being around both of his children because he was able to see the world afresh through their minds.

Elizabeth had excused herself from her chaperones in order to use the ladies room. When she came back she flew into her father's arms and wept. Edward tried his best to comfort his little girl. After a few moments, he requested her permission to share her thoughts with her concerned uncle and grandfather. She agreed because she didn't know if she could find the words.

Elizabeth had seen a woman and child in the bathroom. The woman was trying to give her child a wash at the sink. Her thoughts were filled with pain, humiliation, guilt and fear.

She was homeless and had no idea where she and her child were going to go or what they were going to do. They had slept in a park for the past few nights and she had been begging for money on the street so that she and her child could eat. Most of the people that had passed her and her child had either ignored her, mocked her or looked down on her in disgust. There had been a few that had given her some loose change but it wasn't enough to buy them food for more than one meal. They were hungry, cold and scared.

"Please, daddy, we have to help them." Elizabeth said between her sobs.

Just then their phone rang and Alice filled them in on what they needed to know about their new charges.

The woman named Jessica was 18 years old. She had lost her parents when she was an adolescent and had been shuffled between different group homes. She had met an older man named Mike and ran away from the group home at the age of 15 in order to live with him because he was the first one to show her any affection in a very long time. She became pregnant and he seemed fine with it at first but after the baby was born he spent more time away from their home, leaving her to cope on her own. She didn't make a fuss because he wasn't being abusive. Jessica reasoned that she and Amy had a roof over their head and food to eat so it was best not to cause trouble.

Mike never bonded with his daughter when she was an infant and when she became a toddler; he found it strange that she never uttered a word around him. A week ago Amy had gotten sick and needed to be taken to the hospital. It was then that they found out that the little girl was mute. This was the last straw for him. He threw both the child and the mother out of the house and his life with a small tote bag to hold their belongings. According to him, he didn't want to deal with a 'defective' kid.

The Cullen men and Elizabeth all growled when they heard this. Mike would need to be dealt with.

"We have to help them and we have to help others like them." Elizabeth declared passionately.

Everyone agreed.

Alice assured them that the plan that Elizabeth had would work and she hung up to get things started on her end.

Elizabeth filled the men in on her plan as they waited for Jessica and Amy to exit the ladies room. Then they each separated to work on their assigned tasks.

As Jessica and Amy came into view, Elizabeth walked up to them and introduced herself and asked if they would join her for lunch. Jessica was too hungry to let pride stand in her way and she knew that her little one needed food as well so she agreed.

Elizabeth walked with them over to the food court and after asking what they would like, she went to get their meals.

As they ate, she explained that she had seen them in the ladies room. Before Jessica could get embarrassed, Elizabeth explained that she spoke to her adopted father and he wanted to help and thought that she would be able to help him greatly in return.

Dr Carlisle Cullen was opening a facility to help the homeless and was looking for employees. He wanted people who knew what it felt like so that they would have the empathy needed to treat these individuals with the compassion and respect that they deserved. She asked Jessica if she would be interested in the job.

Jessica accepted feeling truly blessed.

Once Jessica had accepted, Carlisle, Edward and Jasper came over and were introduced. Jasper and Edward, posing as Elizabeth's adopted brothers.

Carlisle explained that they had yet to open the facility. However, while they were getting everything sorted, they would pay for a hotel room for Jessica and Amy to live in.

Jasper handed her a contract that he'd had Mr. Jenks fax over to the Staples store at the mall. It outlined her salary and benefits. He went over all of the information with her so that she would understand and then allowed her to ask questions. She had quite a few and he patiently answered them all to her satisfaction.

Edward then handed her two envelopes. One contained her hotel key card and the other held taxi chits. He explained that they would have her get her driver's license and provide her with a company vehicle once she did. In the mean time it would make things easier for her and Amy to travel by taxi rather than by public transportation. Edward had already made arrangements with a reputable taxi service so Jessica just needed to call them and provide them with a chit. This would cover her travel expenses. He also told her that she wouldn't need to worry about tipping the drivers because the service had made them all aware that they would get special compensation for transporting her and Amy.

He also let her know that the hotel had both a laundry service and room service that she could make use of.

Carlisle had been away during Jasper and Edward's explanations. When he returned her was carrying a booster seat for Amy and small bag of items that Alice had called and told him to purchase.

Jessica took the bag and was surprised but thankful to see a change of clothing for her and Amy to wear and a teddy bear. Amy took the bear and snuggled with it after giving Carlisle a radiant smile.

Elizabeth told Jessica that she would get to meet her sisters Bella and Alice, brother Masen and her adoptive mother, Esme the next morning. She made arrangements to meet for breakfast in the hotel's restaurant the next morning at 9am.

They all walked an extremely grateful Jessica and sleepy Amy out to the waiting taxi. Carlisle showed her and the driver how to install the booster seat. After that, they bid the two a good night.

The Cullens headed home, happy that they had helped two people in need and excited for what the next day would bring.

Author's Note: Reviews are not necessary but are always appreciated.

Story Recommendations: 

If I Should Die Before I Wake by cocoapurl

Any story by Aniseed


	10. Part 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.

In the Woods: 

A Bella and Edward Story Part 10

When the party returned from their outing, Edward, Jasper and Carlisle went to embrace their wives. They all really hated to be apart from the love of their existence.

Elizabeth ran to her brother as soon as she entered their home and gave him a loving embrace and using her gift, she showed him all that she had witnessed that day. By the end, she had tears streaming down her face.

Masen did his best to comfort his twin sister. He hated to see her cry.

"Masen, I just felt an overwhelming need to protect them." Elizabeth said with a teary smile once she was more composed.

"Jasper and I felt the same way about Bella when we first found out about her. It is understandable that you would feel the need to protect your brother's mate." Alice said sympathetically.

Everyone turned to her in shock.

"What do you mean, Alice?" They all questioned in unison.

Alice giggled as she took in their stunned faces.

"Elizabeth is Masen's twin; she has a special connection to her brother. Apart from having a very compassionate heart; the reason that Elizabeth was willing to go to such extremes for these strangers was because she felt the connection to Amy. She couldn't allow her sister to suffer without it wounding her. It's also the reason that we all felt compelled to help in any way we could." Alice explained.

Masen sat quietly letting this information sink in. He would be meeting his mate the next day but she was still a toddler. He would have his hands full as her protector until she came of age.

One by one, his family members embraced him and whispered words of congratulation and pledged to protect his mate with their lives if need be.

No one had given much thought to the twins finding their mates so soon. They had all been so focused on easing them into society. It was a startling discovery yet it was a very happy one.

They all sat quietly and waited for Masen to speak. When he finally did, he looked to his aunt for reassurance.

"Aunt Alice, please look into the future for me." Masen implored.

With a kind smile, Alice did as she was asked and shared her findings with her shocked family.

Jessica would die of ovarian cancer when Amy was ten. The little girl would either end up in the system or with her estranged father. Neither option boded well for Amy.

"Uncle Jasper, I am going to need your help." Masen said solemnly.

"I will do whatever you need, nephew." Jasper promised.

"Mike needs to pay for hurting Jessica and Amy. I want him to lose everything that he holds dear but I am afraid that if I try to take matters into my own hands, I might not be able to keep my temper in check. I won't be able to look Amy in the eye if I am responsible for her father's death.

We could have him arrested for Statutory Rape but I don't want to put Jessica and Amy through a trial. That being said, I think I have come up with a suitable alternative but will need your assistance with the planning and execution." Masen stated.

Everyone exchanged looks of surprise but didn't voice their opinions.

"First, we have to get Mike to sign away his parental rights to Amy. We have more than enough money to provide for her. She doesn't need him.

Second, I want Mike's duplicitous behavior exposed to his employer's, friends, neighbours and family. He needs to bear the shame of his actions.

Third, I am hoping that you and Aunt Alice can convince Jessica to allow you both to become Amy's legal guardians in case of emergency." Masen stated very seriously.

The room at large was feeling very proud of how well Masen was adjusting to the situation and taking charge of what needed to be done. He was showing a level of maturity well beyond his years.

Edward, Jasper and Carlisle took Masen's requests and started working out all of the details.

They started with planning how to get Mike to sign over his Parental Rights. They contacted Jenks to get him to draw up the papers and summon Mike to his office the very next day. They were sure he'd agree to go along with it once Jenks pointed out to him that it was either that or getting charged with Statutory Rape.

They asked Jenks to be sure to get Mike to incriminate himself during their meeting while capturing the exchange on video. They would then send the video to everyone in Mike's life.

He had kept his relationship with Jessica under wraps and no one knew that she or Amy even existed.

This was sure to shock most of them.

Alice had already seen that his employers would terminate him based on the Morality Clause in his contract. With no job and no one in the industry willing to hire him, Mike would lose the house.

Since the news of his duplicity would result in him being shunned by all who knew him, Mike would end up homeless.

Masen thought this was a fitting punishment for what Mike had done to Jessica and Amy. He'd suffer the fate which he himself had inflicted on them. Everyone agreed with him wholeheartedly.

The women were all working on the plans for the new homeless shelter. There was so much to do.

Fortunately, they had connections that could get them the permits that they needed in a hurry.

A quick search on the internet resulted in them finding the perfect building to renovate. With a team of vampires, the renovation wouldn't take too long. Alice contacted the real estate agent and had him ready the paperwork for the purchase.

Once they had found the ideal location, they needed to divide up the duties according to everyone's skills.

Carlisle would be in charge of the medical clinic within the shelter. He would need to be ready to treat these individuals who hadn't been able to afford to seek medical attention.

Esme would be in charge of interior and exterior design. They refused to allow their shelter to look or feel like an institution. They knew that Esme would use her skills to create a beautiful home for all.

Alice would be in charge of clothing and toiletries. She would be getting companies to donate clothing as well as other necessities. She would then purchase wherever there were any shortages. Alice was determined that everyone that walked in through the doors would be provided with decent clothing to wear.

She knew that realistically, not everyone would want to stay long term and be helped to regain a place in society. They would come in for a shower, a meal and a bed for the night and then go back to what they knew.

She came up with a contingency plan for those individuals. She would create a package to give to each one that was leaving. The package would contain a sleeping bag, decent footwear, waterproof clothing, camping rations and a waterproof backpack that could hold their belongings. She hoped that it would bring them some comfort in their nomadic existence.

Bella would be in charge of the nursery and daycare for any children that may need minding while their parents were out seeking employment or working.

Masen would be in charge of food. His culinary skills would come in handy for feeding healthy yet delicious meals. No one would starve under his watch.

Edward would be in charge of assisting individuals with obtaining government assistance or legal assistance if need be.

Jasper would be in charge of the security of the building and those within its walls.

Elizabeth would be in charge of hiring staff.

Jessica would be in charge of training and supervising the staff.

Grace would be the mascot. She was too adorable to be left out.

With their jobs assigned, the twins turned in for the night. The family had a very busy day ahead of them.

Four very important things were going to happen.

First, the rest of the family would be meeting Jessica and Amy for the first time. Second, Masen would be meeting his mate. Third, work on their shelter 'But for the Grace of God' would be started. Fourth but not least, Amy would be free of Mike for good.

Author's Note: Reviews are not necessary but are always appreciated.


	11. Part 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.

In the Woods: 

A Bella and Edward Story Part 11

The next morning Elizabeth asked to ride into the city with Alice. Her words from the night before had left Elizabeth's head spinning with unanswered questions. She knew that she could trust her aunt not to sugar coat her answers.

"Aunt Alice, you mentioned that as Masen's sister, I would feel the connection to his mate and want to protect her. You also mentioned that a similar feeling of protectiveness was felt by the rest of the family as well. Is that correct?" Elizabeth asked.

"You are wondering why Rosalie doesn't feel the same." Alice stated knowledgably.

"Yes. You and Uncle Jasper have gone to great lengths to protect us all from Rosalie and Emmett. Why don't they feel the same kind of connection as they rest of the family?" Elizabeth asked.

"Rosalie is a vain, selfish, hateful person.

She hated Carlisle for not allowing her to die a natural death. That hatred was compounded when she found out that Carlisle's reason for changing her was in hopes that she would be a mate for Edward.

She blamed Edward for her transformation because his loneliness was what motivated Carlisle to search for a mate for him. It's ridiculous since Edward was unaware of this plan but that's Rosalie for you. She'll all beauty and no brains.

That hatred for Edward grew stronger because Edward had dared to reject her. Her vanity couldn't handle that.

Over the decades, she's stayed with the family because she didn't want to fend for herself. She always was a spoiled princess in her human life and that certainly didn't change once she became a vampire. Also, she enjoyed the use of the Cullen wealth and protection that Edward, Jasper and I bring to the family with our gifts.

She always seemed to get a thrill from making Carlisle suffer with the knowledge that he robbed her of the chance to be a mother but you have to remember that she was already on death's door before Carlisle found her. Her fate was already sealed. It wasn't in the cards for her to be a mother. I think it is quite fortunate really, that no child had to suffer that fate.

She was always flaunting her sexuality in front of Edward because she knew how uncomfortable it made him. She enjoyed seeing him suffer too.

As I mentioned before, Emmett isn't a very cultured man. He is very vulgar and inconsiderate. I cannot tell you how often he broke things around our other homes and never batted an eye about it. Those two are well suited.

I left their photos up in the cabin so you, Bella and Masen would know what they look like.

We will have to be prepared though. Their funds are going to run out soon so they will be tracking us down to get more. I see two possible outcomes. We will give them the option to change their ways and rejoin the family. They will either agree or decide to try to stir up trouble with the Volturi.

I truly believe that it's unlikely Rosalie and Emmett will be willing to change their ways.

It is more likely that Rosalie will hate that Edward got to have what she claimed she wanted more than life itself. She will also hate you and Masen for being able to procreate.

More than likely she will choose the Volturi route and if that is the case, she and Emmett will need to be destroyed." Alice said with finality.

Alice and Elizabeth spent the rest of the ride into the city in quiet contemplation.

As Masen got out of the vehicle, a group of women in their early twenties walked by and gave him flirtatious smiles but he paid them no mind as he walked into the hotel's restaurant.

It was setup as a coffee shop that was open to the general public and not only the paying guests. Masen got in line behind a man that was clearly homeless. The man placed an order for a small coffee and counted out each coin carefully. He had just had enough to pay for the cup.

The group of women that had been trying to flirt with Masen were standing off to the side, apparently they were trying to decide which pastries to order from the display case. They were bending over trying to look enticing while talking loudly and glancing over at him constantly. They just ended up looking incredibly desperate.

One of the women decided to try a more direct approach and turned around headed over to Masen. As she turned, she bumped into the homeless man and he ended up spilling his coffee on her suede boots.

She exploded in anger. She yelled at the man for being clumsy. She insulted him by asking what someone like him was even doing around normal people because his lack of hygiene showed that he was clearly beneath them. The last straw for Masen was when she asked the man if he realized just how much her designer boots, that he had the nerve to ruin, had cost.

Masen turned to her in anger and in a very loud voice said that they obviously cost more than she could afford because she hadn't been left with enough money to buy any class. He then informed her that she should be apologizing because she was the one who had bumped into the gentleman who she had been too preoccupied to notice because she had been too busy trying to whore herself out. He finished by saying that she obviously shouldn't be allowed around normal people because she didn't know how to treat people with courtesy and respect.

His little speech earned a round of applause and laughter from the patrons of the establishment. The disgraced woman stormed out of the restaurant with her friends in tow.

Masen then turned to the homeless man and introduced himself and asked if he would do Masen the honor of joining him and his family for breakfast. The man whose name was Ben said that he would love to but that his wife was waiting for him outside. Masen said the more the merrier and told him that she was invited as well.

Ben was very thankful and gladly accepted on behalf of himself and his wife Angela.

Masen was placing his order when the sound of racing feet behind him announced Amy's arrival. She skidded to a stop beside him and wrapped her arms around his leg. He looked down at her and smiled widely.

She really was adorable.

Jessica ran up not a moment later and said that she had no idea what had gotten into her daughter. Amy had always been on the shy side but when she got to the restaurant and had spotted him, she took off running. It was the strangest thing. Masen told her not to worry. He picked up Amy and carried her to the table where the entire family was waiting for them.

Ben returned a moment later with his pregnant wife Angela.

After introductions were made, the group learned that Ben and Angela had been evicted their home because they were unable to pay the rent. Angela had experienced complications with her pregnancy so she had been hospitalized. The medical bills had drained their savings. To make matters worse, their boss had fired them both for missing work. He was unsympathetic because he really hated kids and thought that they were a waste of time.

They had been living on the streets for the past month.

Everyone at the table was upset to hear how cruelly they had been treated. Carlisle made the same offer to Ben and Angela that he had made to Jessica the day before. He also assured Angela that she would be receiving free medical care from him.

The couple happily accepted Carlisle's generous offer.

After a filling breakfast, Esme took the couple to get checked into the hotel. She insisted that they head up to their room to freshen up and get some rest in a comfortable bed.

Jasper assured them that he would have their contracts dropped off later that day.

Alice took their measurements and then she headed off with Jessica, Amy and Masen to shop for necessities for their new employees.

Masen wasn't about to let Amy out of his sight and it appeared that Amy wasn't about to let go of Masen.

Edward thought it was adorable that his future daughter in law was so possessive of Masen from such a young age. Whenever she looked at Masen the word that crossed her mind was "Mine".

The bond that was forming between Masen and Amy really was a precious thing to witness. Jessica also thought that it was adorable and didn't object. She was grateful for the extra help to look after her child. She felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders.

Once Alice had taken her group to shop, the rest of their family headed off to get the ball rolling on the Homeless Shelter.

Author's Note: Reviews are not necessary but are always appreciated.


	12. Part 12

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.

In the Woods: 

A Bella and Edward Story Part 12

Reader, it had been a year since we last visited the Cullens. Their shelter is now up and running successfully and they are ready to move on to the next adventure.

"Masen, are you sure that this is what you want to do?" Edward asked his son.

"Dad, Amy needs to live her life and have her childhood. I can't be hovering over her. She is just young enough that she won't remember me if I leave now. It what's best." Masen said.

"Jessica had made Alice and I guardians of Amy in the event of her death." Jasper said.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather look after her when the time comes?" Alice asked.

"Uncle Jasper, Aunt Alice, you both looked after mom until it was time for dad to enter her life. You allowed her to grow into her own person without having to worry about mates. I want the same for Amy. I have interfered this far because I had to step in and make sure that she was safe but I don't want to stand in the way of her living her life. One day when the time is right for both of us, we will meet again and we will have the rest of eternity to be together, God willing." Masen said.

"That is a very mature and selfless way of looking at things." Bella said with tears in her eyes. She was very proud of her son.

"It's the only way to look at things, mom." Masen said softly.

The family found that handling over the running of the shelter to Ben, Angela and Jessica had been an easy transition.

They had all been very bright and very eager to learn. They were also very compassionate people so the staff and the homeless alike found them to be very approachable.

This really made things easier to deal with when their newest friend walked through the door.

Her name was Lauren and she was in a bad way. Lauren had been on the streets for years. She had travelled around with a couple and the strength in numbers kept her out of harm's way.

Unfortunately, the previous winter, the couple had died due to exposure to the elements while they were stuck sleeping outdoor on the coldest night of the year. They had huddled together for warmth and had changed positions throughout the night so that person in the middle could draw the warmth from the two on the outside. Lauren had fallen asleep sandwiched between her two friends and woke to find them both dead. They had given their lives for her.

This left a devastated Lauren on her own and very vulnerable which resulted in Lauren being sexually assaulted.

Fortunately, a Good Samaritan came across her and called an ambulance. She was taken to a hospital but given the most minimal care because they didn't deem her a worthy candidate since she was homeless. The police took her report but weren't very optimistic that they would finds her attacker. The next morning, she was released back onto the streets.

Two months later, she returned to the hospital to speak to the doctor who had treated her after her assault because she realized that she was pregnant.

He didn't even have the courtesy to apologize that she hadn't been given 'Plan B' to prevent her from getting pregnant from the assault. He told her that abortion was always an option but regardless of the violent nature in which the baby had been conceived, Lauren couldn't bring herself to end its life.

The doctor just dismissed her because he figured that since she was homeless there was little that she could do to make him pay for his blatant disregard for her wellbeing.

He had been mistaken.

Lauren had heard about the shelter and made her way there. When Angela, Ben and Jessica heard about her plight, they were appalled by the way that she was treated but not surprised.

They immediately used the resources available to them to hire an excellent attorney.

He sued the doctor for malpractice and won.

They were also able to help Lauren find a good home for her baby. Lauren was so grateful for their help that she never left. She dedicated her life to assisting others that had been treated unjustly.

The Cullen family was very proud of their protégées and tearfully bid them all good bye, promising to be in touch.

It was especially hard for Masen to leave when little Amy ran up to him and clung to his leg. He scooped her up in his arms and gave her a great big hug. He sat with her and assured her that he had seen to it that she would always be cared for and loved.

He also promised to return to her one day in the future.

She was too young to understand why her friend was leaving but she seemed happy to hear that he would return someday.

That eased Masen's conscience as he watched his future mate in tears. He hated leaving her but knew that she was in good hands.

The family headed back to their home in the woods in order to take a breather from society.

They had seen some pretty horrific things during their time in the city and needed to get away from it all.

They also had to prepare themselves for an expected but unwelcome visit because Alice had a vision of Rosalie's and Emmett's return.

Author's Note: If you are enjoying this tale, please let me know by leaving a review.


	13. Part 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All recognizable characters belong to SM.

In the Woods: 

A Bella and Edward Story Part 13

Well Reader, we are approaching the end of this little tale. I hope that you have enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed telling it. As we rejoin the Cullens, they have returned to their little cabin to await Rosalie and Emmett's return.

The couple showed up at the Cullen cabin two months after the rest of the family had returned. Rosalie was fit to be tied when she entered the cabin.

"Carlisle, Emmett and I ran out of money in our personal account and were unable to gain access to anymore. The lawyer who handles our accounts said that we needed permission from you and that we would need to come here to obtain it. What is the meaning of this!" Rosalie screeched by way of greeting.

Emmett followed her inside but he was more interested in the group that was gathered. He saw Edward standing next to petite brunette and on either side of the couple were their doppelgangers only they appeared to have heartbeats.

He was curious and stepped towards them only to be stopped when Alice, Esme and Jasper stepped in front of them in a defensive manner. He raised his hands to indicate that he meant no harm and went to stand by Rosalie. Although his curiosity was eating at him, he decided to see how things unfolded.

"Rosalie, there have been many changes that have occurred over the years that have made the family sit down and reevaluate things." Carlisle said.

"The family reevaluated? Then why weren't Emmett and I consulted?" Rosalie asked coldly.

"I would think that is quite obvious." Alice said with equal coldness.

"You and Emmett have never acted as members of the family. You have only ever cared about yourselves and your needs. I would know since I can feel your emotions." Jasper said.

"I can also attest to that because I can hear your thoughts." Edward said drawing Rosalie's attention to him.

She finally took in the gathering but unlike Emmett she wasn't curious. She knew immediately what had happened. Alice always accused her of being brainless but even she managed to come to the correct conclusions.

"I see that there have been quite a few changes" Rosalie said as her narrowed eyes focused on Bella and then shifted to the twins.

Edward wrapped his arms protectively around Bella which drew Rosalie's attention back to him.

"Yes, there have." He said returning her glare.

Her jealousy was through the roof. Both Jasper and Edward had to really concentrate to deal with her thoughts and emotions.

Elizabeth decided to try to ease the tension in the room so she approached and with a tentative smile she introduced herself. She then explained that she had a gift similar to her father's where she could share thoughts with others and asked for permission to share her experiences with them.

Both Rosalie and Emmett agreed so Elizabeth showed them all her happy experiences with her family.

Instead of warming Rosalie's heart, the images just made her more bitter and angry.

"We would be willing to allow you to rejoin us as long as you are both willing to make necessary changes in your attitudes and behavior towards the rest of the family." Carlisle said when Elizabeth finished.

"What changes?" Emmett asked.

Jasper took the lead and explained the family's expectations for respect and courtesy. He expressed how Rosalie's and Emmett's actions of the past had affected each member and allowed the couple time to absorb what he was saying.

"So you just want to discard us?" Rosalie asked angrily.

"Not at all, Dear. We just want you and Emmett to behave more respectfully towards each member of the family, in actions and thoughts." Esme said kindly.

"If we decide not to then you're kicking us out of the family?" Emmett asked for clarification.

"Emmett, we don't want it to come to that but we will not go on living the way that we used to. During our time apart we've learned to live a better and healthier way. We will welcome you both back with open arms if you are willing to make the changes that we have requested. However, if you _choose_ not to, then this will have to be a parting of the ways for us." Carlisle said leaving no room for arguments.

Elizabeth was reading their thoughts and alerted Masen to what was coming.

"I have no intention of changing a thing about myself especially not for the likes of you." Rosalie spat.

"Well, if that is you choice, this is goodbye." Carlisle said sadly.

"You owe me! You ruined my life!" Rosalie yelled at him in fury.

"That is enough!" Edward bellowed.

"You horrible, hateful woman! Your life was already over when he found you and gave you a chance at a new life. You have contributed nothing to this family. You have lived off of the family's wealth and given nothing but your hatred and contempt in return." Edward said.

"I was never given a choice." Rosalie retorted.

"You are being given one now. You will either choose to change or choose to leave. What is your choice?" Edward asked coldly.

"We are going but we won't go quietly." Rosalie said with an evil grin.

She wrapped her arm around Emmett's waist and smiled up at him. He returned her smile and nodded his head at her.

"What do you mean?" Esme asked, knowing full well what was coming.

"I mean that I am sure that the Volturi would be interested to see the kinds of powers that you have amassed, Carlisle. I think that they would be willing to tear apart this family that you hold so dear." Rosalie said with a sneer.

Emmett actually laughed and smiled at her plan.

Elizabeth looked at Alice who confirmed that the decision had been made before grabbing Masen's hand and stepping forward.

"Before anymore words are spoken, my brother and I would like to have a private word with you outside." Elizabeth said sweetly.

None of the other family members moved from their spots so they followed them out without further persuasion. Emmett and Rosalie saw the twins as no threat since they were half human.

The twins walked to a clearing that was far enough away from the cabin so that Rosalie and Emmett had the illusion that they were going to be having a private conversation.

"We'd like you to reconsider." Masen said simply.

"My mind is made up, kid." Rosalie said.

"What about you, Emmett?" Elizabeth asked.

"I'm with, Rosie. Whatever she chooses goes for me too." Emmett said while smiling at his mate.

"I'm sorry that you feel that way." The twins answered in unison.

Before either Rosalie or Emmett could respond, Masen used the gift he had borrowed from Jasper to render both of them shocked still. He and Elizabeth wasted no time in ending the latest threat to their family. Although, they took no pleasure in dismembering and burning the pieces of Emmett and Rosalie, they were happy the threat was eliminated.

They watched the fire burn the last piece and then put it out before heading home.

When they walked through the door, their family encircled them and thanked them for what they had done.

The plan had been discussed and decided upon in the weeks that they had waited for Rosalie and Emmett to arrive. The twins felt it would be better for them to end the threat because they had never really known the pair and wouldn't be as affected emotionally by it. Thankfully no one objected.

Elizabeth went into the bedroom and scooped Grace up off of the bed where she was resting, watching television and returned to the living room.

"Aunt Alice, could you please look into the future?" She asked once she was settled on the sofa with her little friend.

Alice did and then looked up smiling brilliantly.

"At long last, the way is finally clear. I see no threats in any of our futures."

The twins hugged each other before turning to their parents.

"Mom, I have decided that I want to go with Grandma and Grandpa to England." Masen said.

Bella smiled sadly at her son. She had a feeling that this day would come but that didn't make it any less difficult.

"Okay, Masen." Bella said as she went and embraced her son. "Just be safe."

Bella turned to her daughter and looked at her expectantly.

"Uncle Jasper and Aunt Alice are headed to South America. They are going in search for other hybrids and I thought it might be a fun adventure." Elizabeth said. Bella drew her into a hug and made the same request of her daughter.

"Well Edward, it looks like it is just the two of us now." Bella said while smiling lovingly at her husband.

Grace let out an indignant bark which caused everyone to laugh.

"Oh, sorry, Grace. Mommy didn't mean to leave you out." Bella cooed as she snuggled next to Edward with the little pooch.

"With everyone else gone, it'll just be the three of us, where it all began, in our little cabin in the woods…"

_Author's Note: I hope that reading this little tale had been entertaining._

_To those lovely readers who took the time to review, I truly appreciate each one. Thank you._


	14. Banner Request

Dear Readers,

I am looking for someone who can make a banner for my stories. Please let me know if you can help.

Regards,

Humble4


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